Hedging the Bets
by BathsaltsMcGee
Summary: Miles Edgeworth thought the worst of his problems was just catching up on all his procrastinated paperwork, but he soon realizes just how wrong he is when a late night visit propels him into a quagmire of conspiracy, greed, envy, and a desperate desire for vengeance. However, Edgeworth is sure he can handle it, and he's probably right, so long as his luck doesn't run out.
1. An Unexpected Guest

Miles Edgeworth thought the worst of his problems was just catching up on all the procrastinated paperwork littering his desk, but soon realizes just how wrong he is when a request from a late night visitor sends him into a quagmire of conspiracy, greed, envy, and a desperate desire for vengeance. However, Edgeworth is confident he can handle whatever is thrown his way, be it of this world or the next, and on that front, he's probably right.

... So long as his luck doesn't run out, that is.

Post Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice, Spoilers for both the AA series and AA: Investigations. Subtle amounts of Mitsumayo, mentions of suggested Narumitsu. Rated T for blood, murder, suggestive themes, and one old lady who won't stop telling inappropriate jokes just for kicks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney or any of the characters created therein. I do, however, own the character that I create and the plots for which they are responsible.

* * *

Hedging the Bets

Chapter One- An Unexpected Guest

It was at times like these Miles Edgeworth was truly grateful he was a veteran workaholic.

As he sat in his chair in the middle of his decadent office, his nose buried in a case file thicker than a dictionary, while the workload piled up in the inbox on his otherwise meticulous desk threatened to crack the container, it stood to reason that lesser men who did not have the tenacity and temperance to tackle such mountainous regions of documentation would surely have perished by now.

However, for a natural born workaholic such as himself, who had absolutely no problem working into the wee hours of the morning like he had done the past week and a half, the mountain of documents and files were nothing but a tenuous hassle.

An irksome tidbit.

A trifle, really.

A bit tedious, but nothing he couldn't handle.

He didn't need sleep, anyway.

Stifling a yawn, Edgeworth finished reading the case file, set it down in the 'out' box and spared the clock a mild glance.

A quarter past two.

Lovely.

Well, it seemed he was indeed in for another night of memorizing details of horrific murders, arson and extortion. Mixed with extra strength coffee, one couldn't ask for a better remedy for drowsiness.

Yawning again, Edgeworth removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose where the nose pads had dug into his skin. Despite having them for a few years, he still wasn't quite used to wearing glasses, but due to his hypermetropia having grown past the point of pretending it didn't exist, he had little choice. The other alternative wasn't feasible, since no one, regardless of their medical degrees, was aiming a laser at his face.

So the glasses stayed.

That didn't mean his nose didn't hurt, though.

He stayed still for a moment, trying to find a way to take his mind off the burgeoning headache building behind his eye, and slowly started to lean forward, only to jerk himself back upright and reach for another case file.

"I almost drifted off again." Edgeworth berated himself in a low tone and flipped the file open. "Ridiculous. I can't very well stop now. There's work to be done."

His head throbbed in protest.

"Perhaps... after this case file, I'll stop for the night."

That was a lie.

He knew it was a lie, but he had work to do. So the lie was tolerable.

It was amazing, he thought, that he wouldn't abide a falsity in court, but he was perfectly fine with lying to himself about his own physical limitations.

How hypocritical.

Unfortunately, he was too exhausted to find it in himself to be irritated by any potential hypocrisy. He knew he was stretching himself too thin, even by his standards, but as chief prosecutor, it was his responsibility to bring himself up to speed on all the cases that he had been absent for when traipsing about Khura'in at the behest of a certain spiky haired defense attorney.

So, as penance for his absence, Edgeworth was relegated to a desk position until further notice. Any thought of a break, sleep, or fresh air was banished from his presence until his inbox was devoid of paper.

If only his headache would receive the memo.

Well, at least he didn't have to appear in court to represent any of these cases while suffering from sleep deprivation, so he truly had no room to complain.

Ever since he had been given the position as chief prosecutor, Edgeworth had, for the most part, hung up the mantle of his courtly battles. He only ever took an active role in the courtroom when he didn't trust anyone else to conduct their duties properly because of other interests, underlying corruption, or simple cowardice.

That being said, having embraced his newfound role of prosecutorial puppeteer didn't mean his determination towards discovering the truth had diminished. If anything, his status boost gave him even more drive to pursue veracity in all its forms regardless of where it led, even when that pursuit led to the mass purge of the prosecutors' office, leaving only a few survivors remaining.

Edgeworth mildly thought about the debacle from a few months ago and scoffed disdainfully. When the former prosecutors were escorted from the building by the police after refusing to leave, it was shameful the way they conducted themselves. True it wasn't much better than when they'd been employed there, but to make such asses of themselves with nary a shred of composure or dignity was nothing short of ignominious.

Perhaps if they hadn't been such corrupt stains on the law and had actually done their job in accordance with the prosecutorial creed instead of their own morally ambivalent desires, they'd still be employed.

In any case, that was why he now faced such a strenuous workload on his desk. It was taxing and an irritation, but if that was the cost of remaining in line with his own personal code, Edgeworth would've gladly paid the price three times over.

Pair that with his little trip to the kingdom of Khura'in, and Edgeworth wasn't sure when he would next see the sun.

Taking some solace in his predicament of self induced solitary confinement, he pointed out to himself that even though the prosecutor's office was in shambles and he'd inadvertently been involved in a foreign revolution, daily life was far more subdued than it had been in his younger days. Edgeworth wasn't old, but as far as excitement was concerned, he had enough in the first thirty five years of his life to last him the remaining ones. Everything he did now was devoted towards the hope he might eventually banish the 'dark age of the law' that permeated over the prosecutorial districts across the country.

In all honesty, it sounded far more exciting than it actually was.

His days usually consisted of paperwork, delegation, and frequent culling of any personnel that reeked of venal intent. That might've proved stressful for some, but there were certainly fewer interconnected emergencies, random explosions, questionable acts of physics, nefarious kidnapping plots, or evil spirits returning from beyond the grave to wreak havoc on the living.

No, they were just regular old murders.

Nothing bizarre, or theurgical, or unexpected.

So, in the early hours of the rainy Thursday morning our story starts, it came as a shock to Miles Edgeworth when, completely bereft of an appointment, the door to his office knocked three times.

Edgeworth glanced up from the folder and stared at the door.

Who in their right mind was disturbing him? It was the middle of the night, for god's sake. Anyone in their right mind was long gone from the premises and he wasn't aware anyone was willing enough to breach the edict he had issued earlier that day; no one was to even come within a country mile of his office, lest they suffer a pay cut the likes from which they would never properly recover. So, with that imminent threat floating in the air like a cloud of poisonous fog, and all the detectives gone from the vicinity until further notice, who was knocking on his door at this time of night?

He had half a mind to dismiss the intrusion as a figment of his waning concentration and go back to his work when a thought stopped him in his tracks. If someone actually had the fortitude to approach him in spite of his earlier warnings, perhaps that meant the topic with which they possessed held particular urgence. If they were taking their life, and salary, into their hands, whatever topic they felt the need to bring to his attention was probably worth the risk.

And it wouldn't do to ignore an emergency.

"Enter." He said once before going back to the file. While it was annoying that he was about to be disturbed despite his efforts to procure solitude, and he was probably just hallucinating, if he allowed his irritation at the interruption to bleed into his other responsibilities, he might accidentally overlook a pressing matter in dire need of attention. However, if this proved to be a waste of his precious time he could've devoted to memorizing the details of the Baytown Butcher's latest victim's gruesome demise, he would, for all sakes and purposes, be most nettled.

In layman's terms, this better be _good._

Edgeworth waited patiently for the door to open and the interloper, whomever they were, to enter, but when five minutes passed and no one came in, his patience ran out.

"I believe I told you to enter." He said tersely, silently hoping he hadn't finally pushed himself over the edge and lost his mind.

"I can't." came a voice from the other side of the door.

Edgeworth let out an unconscious breath of relief that he was, for the time being, still sane and furrowed his silver brows so deeply the creases dug a chasm in his forehead.

"Why on earth not-" He responded, but stopped short when realization hit him like a bullet train into a wayward cow.

Oh, that was right.

He'd locked the door.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation at his weakening powers of recollection, Edgeworth removed himself from his desk, briskly strode to the door and opened it.

His irritation quickly shifted to astonishment when he found the last person he expected waiting for him on the other side.

Standing in the hallway outside his office door was a woman in her late twenties decked out in probably the most outlandish attire imaginable, and, given the eclectic bunch wandering about the prosecutor's office at all hours, that was saying something. Part of her lengthy shiny black hair was tied into an elaborate topknot on the top of her head while the rest hung long past her shoulders, and though her clothing wasn't as it had been when Edgeworth first met her all those years ago, ceremonial occultist robes of white and purple, along with a necklace of massive beads and an unusual gem around her neck, weren't exactly the standard dress in a judiciary building.

"Hi, Mr. Edgeworth." Maya Fey waved at him while sporting a warm grin. "Long time no see."

"Miss Fey?" Edgeworth regarded the young lady in the hallway while attempting to keep his stupefaction at her sudden appearance under wraps. "What are you doing at the prosecutor's offices at two in the morning?"

"Two fifteen in the morning, actually." Maya corrected puckishly, but she petered out pretty quickly. "I was actually wondering if... if I could talk to you? It's important."

"It must be, given the time." replied Edgeworth. "How did you know I was here?"

"It's a long story." Maya grinned sheepishly.

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow.

"Well... I was looking for you, so I went by your flat, but you weren't there, so I phoned Nick and he didn't know where you were, so then I tried the courthouse, but the judge doesn't know how to work his new phone, and the bailiff didn't know, but he suggested I call the precinct, so I did and one of the detectives picked up and said you had banished them from your presence, so I figured you were still at work and I went to your old office, the one on the twelfth floor, room 1202, but the janitor said you'd moved, so then I went to the receptionist, who I probably should've talked to before I went up to your old office in the first place, but she was new, so she didn't know, so I've been trying every office in the building to see which one had an Edgeworth lurking in it and I just now finally found you."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"You set up a cellular manhunt in order to track me down." He repeated.

"Yep." nodded Maya.

"And you checked every office."

"Correct."

"In a thirty story building."

"My legs hurt."

"Why didn't you just call me?"

Maya blinked.

"You have a cellphone?"

"Yes, but- oh, never mind." Edgeworth staved off the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "What did you need to speak with me about?"

"Oh! Oh... yeah." Maya's perkiness disappeared the moment she was reminded of why she was presently in his hallway, and she glanced around as if expecting to see someone stalking her in the shadows. "Would it be okay if I came in before I said anything? I don't want any eavesdroppers."

Eavesdroppers at that time of night in a deserted building were of little concern, but Edgeworth wordlessly moved aside to allow her entry into his office. Maya beamed at him, darted inside, and claimed a spot on the tufted sofa as her own while brushing some of the wrinkles off her robes.

Truth be told, he hadn't been expecting to see the master of Kurain Village again so soon, not after that whole debacle in the kingdom of Khura'in, he thought as he shut the door behind her. He assumed upon her return to the states, she was to undergo more rigorous training and thus would be MIA until further notice.

Apparently he assumed wrong.

He certainly hadn't anticipated she would attempt to track him down so doggedly, though. However, if something was so weighty on her mind that she would undergo even a modicum of what she had in order to find him, surely her concern must be fairly serious.

"So, Miss Fey, what is it you wished to speak with me about?" He inquired while folding his arms against his chest, having decided to forego pleasantries and get to the heart of the matter. "You seem disturbed."

Maya choked back a snort.

"You haven't lost your charm, have you, Mr. Edgeworth? And here I thought you'd improved a bit." She grinned, her vivacity flaring up in her face like a fire, but it quickly died back down to an ember. "Actually, I came here today because I... I need your help."

That response, he hadn't been expecting.

"My help?" asked Edgeworth. "On what?"

"Well, okay, maybe not help. Help isn't the right word." Maya clarified, floundering in search of the correct phrasing. "I have a request. For a lawyer. Like you. I mean, I know you're a prosecutor, and not just a prosecutor, but THE prosecutor, but that still means you're a lawyer, so that counts."

Edgeworth's eyebrow arched once he sifted through her wordy response.

"Did you get accused of murder again?"

"What?!" gasped Maya. "No, of course not-"

"Are you sure about that?" Edgeworth's eyelids fell to half mast. "Because I'll have you know if that is the case, you're appealing to the wrong side of the debate."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Maya nodded huffily, picking at a button on the tufted sofa cushions. "If I had, I'd be in detention... _again_."

"Yes, as I recall, you do seem to make a habit of being arrested under suspicion of murder." Edgeworth commented lightly, remembering what Wright had told him of Maya's latest foray into the legal system in Khura'in. "By this point, one would think you actually enjoy being a defendant."

Maya's cheek puffed out defensively.

"Y'know, it's not like I majored in getting framed or anything." She folded her arms against her chest while directing an irked glower at him. "I'm a spirit medium, not a scapegoat."

"And yet how many times have you been arrested?" He countered, ignoring the glare aimed at his head.

"I dunno. I lost count." Maya sighed heavily. "Somewhere in the umpteenths. I think."

Hmph. He thought as much. Point, set, and match.

"Besides, if I got accused of murder, Nick'd be the one I'd be talking to right now, not you. You'd just try to pry incriminating details out of my alibi to use against any testimony I'd present, since you're the relentless Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and all that fancy schmancy stuff." Maya playfully wrinkled her nose. "Man, that always sounds so weird no matter how many times I say it. Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. Nope, still not used to it. Guess I'll just have to keep practicing."

A faint dusting of pink cropped up on Edgeworth's nose.

"You don't need to say my full name and title every single time, Miss Fey." He rebuked quietly. "It's... unsettling."

Maya thought about it for a minute.

"Yeah, you might have a good point. Franziska'll be convinced I'm copying her. I'll just have to stick to Mr. Edgeworth from now on. That's got a better ring to it, anyway."

"So, back to the topic at hand, if you haven't been accused of a crime this week, what kind of lawyerly advice are you so intent upon attaining that would compel you to seek me out at two in the morning?" Edgeworth brushed off the mention of his prosecutorial colleague, lest his thoughts summon her like a whipping demon. "Surely you could've waited for the morning to arrive before attempting such a feat."

Maya's playful attitude vanished.

"Actually, that's kinda the problem." She smiled, though the smile didn't fully reach her eyes. "I can't wait, not even for a second. This is too important."

"Elaborate." He indicated with a hand for her to continue.

"Okay. Here goes." Maya inhaled deeply as if steeling herself for what was to come next. "When I returned back to the village this morning from my trip to Khura'in, I found this waiting for me in my front room." Reaching into her sleeve, the acolyte retrieved a rolled up, dusty, slightly mildewed scroll and held it out.

"And this is?" Edgeworth took the scroll, carefully unraveled it and readjusted his glasses.

"A summons from the Synod of Elders." Maya replied. "The highest ranking council in the entire Fey clan."

"The Synod of Elders?" The proper prosecutor lightly skimmed over the elaborate calligraphy etched into the parchment. From what he discerned, the scroll was indeed a subpoena for Maya to appear at a meeting of the 'Synod of Elders' in the main hall of the Fey manor, which was to take place...

... tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock.

Hm. She really couldn't wait after all.

"I wasn't aware there was a council that held authority over the leader of your village." Edgeworth commented while he perused the document. "I thought that as master of your art, you were the highest authority. Is that not the case?"

"Yes and no." Maya tilted her head contemplatively from side to side. "Technically as Master of the Kurain Channeling technique, I'm the Grand Poobah, but there's a whole council of elder mediums who keep the Master in check and can relieve the Master of her title if they deem it necessary. Y'know, just in case I lose my powers or I turn out to be an evil demon lord or something."

Factoring in what Wright had told him about her relatives, that wasn't an unfounded concern.

"So this Synod of Elders is like the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee, but for spirit mediums." Edgeworth summarized, still reading the document. "I see. So, that being said, what is the nature of your request?"

Maya inhaled deeply and gripped the fabric on her knees.

"Will you come with me to Kurain Village?"

Edgeworth stopped reading the document.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Will you come with me to Kurain Village?" Maya repeated, the seriousness of her voice so potent, Edgeworth almost forgot to whom he was speaking. "It's my first time going in front of the council, and while I know the majority of them, the idea of actually facing them is terrifying. I thought that if I had some backup, special, scary, lawyer-y back up, it wouldn't be so bad and I'd be able to get out of the meeting in one piece if I had a safety net."

Edgeworth ran a hand over his face as the headache from before came back with a vengeance.

"You're telling me... that you spent all night trying to track me down so you could beg me to accompany you back to your village to attend a meeting as moral support?"

Maya grinned abashedly.

"Would you be that shocked if I said yes?"

"Honestly? No. No, I would not be shocked. That is the sort of thing you would do."

"So, what do you say? Will you come with me? I really need you there." Maya supplicated as much as she could muster, her dark eyes wide and entreating. "Please? Pretty please?"

It was rather surreal being asked 'pretty please' by a full grown woman, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he slowly exhaled and leveled her with an enervated stare.

"Miss Fey, as you can see, I have barely enough time to sleep, let alone take a trip into the far flung reaches of the wilderness on a flight of fancy." Edgeworth gestured to the leaning tower of case files on his desk. "I am already far behind on my work as a result of having gone to Khura'in and, while I do not regret my actions, I cannot delay my other responsibilities here any longer."

Maya's shoulders drooped.

"So that's a no, huh?"

"Correct. I cannot just abandon my concerns here on a whim, even if that whim is requested by a..." He searched for the right phrase that best described his relationship to Maya Fey, but after a moment of mulling, Edgeworth came up wanting.

What was she to him, really?

An acquaintance?

An associate?

A pseudo colleague of sorts, perhaps?

"I think the word you're looking for is 'friend'." Maya chuckled mirthfully from behind a palmless glove. "Go on, you can say it. It won't burn you."

A friend?

Maya Fey regarded him as a friend?

... well... he supposed their history as long standing acquaintances both in and out of the courtroom stood to reason that a certain amount of attachment might form, so in a way that term held a modicum of truth.

"Very well. 'Friend'." Edgeworth awkwardly repeated the word and cleared his throat as if that would dispel the tension lingering around such a term of familiarity. "So, I cannot acquiesce your request. Unlike some who may be able to run off while in pursuit of a wild hare, my life is not so simple that I can."

"Yeah, I didn't think it would be that simple." murmured Maya.

"If you truly need someone of a lawful mind to accompany you for no other reason than a morally supportive entourage, Wright usually doesn't have much to occupy his time-"

 _"_ _No!"_ Maya sprang up off the sofa and Edgeworth suddenly found a spirit medium so close, only an inch separated them from colliding torsos.

So, like he did whenever he found himself faced with an infraction of his personal space, Edgeworth's primary defense mechanism clicked into effect and he froze, stiff as a statue.

"Oh, right. Boundaries." Maya quickly took a step back from the ossified prosecutor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to invade your bubble. And as for Nick, I would ask him, but he's been really up to his eyeballs in catchup work lately-"

Edgeworth spared his desk a pointed glance.

"And after he lost Apollo, he's been in a bit of a funk, a 'proud of him that he finally spread his tiny wings and flew away' funk, but still a funk, and I didn't want to upset him by bugging him with my stuff."

Ah, so that was her motivation. She was trying to spare Wright further discord in his already discordant life.

"That's surprisingly mature of you."

"I'll have you know I'm full of surprises, Mr. Edgeworth." Maya chirped back. "So that's why I came to you instead. I could really use some lawyerly presence as backup and I don't really want to resort to having Pearly channel one, so... is there some way I can change your mind?"

Edgeworth sighed.

"Miss Fey, I-"

He stopped short.

Maya, hands pressed firmly over the center of her chest, was staring intently at him, but not in the way she usually did. Unlike the cheeky repose she normally had when conversing with him, Maya's expression was remarkably serious, which honestly didn't suit her in his opinion.

If anything, it looked nothing short of blind desperation coupled with dizzying nausea.

Was she sick?

Nonsense. She was fine a minute ago. Though... certain diseases were known to come up without warning, so perhaps something akin to a stomach virus was beginning to manifest. She had been under an inordinate amount of stress lately- hadn't they all- and given Maya's tendency to devour anything that stood too slowly, he couldn't deny the possibility.

"Miss Fey, are you alright?" Edgeworth made a gesture to her face. "You look quite ill."

"I- I do?" Maya blinked, but quickly laughed it off. "Oh, uh, that must've been all the pancakes I had earlier. I normally go for burgers, but they had this special that was all you can eat for pancakes and I really wanted to know just HOW many I could eat-"

Ah, so it was just overeating that caused it.

Edgeworth thought as much.

"Maybe it would be best if you sit for a while then, lest you end up doing something undignified on the floor that requires me to call the custodial staff." Edgeworth readjusted his cravat and turned back towards his desk. "Also, it is not a matter of changing my mind as it is a fact of reality that I have been away for too long as it is and cannot leave again. I spent too much time galavanting around Khura'in and now I must pay for it."

"... oh." Maya plunked back on the sofa and stared at her sandals. "I see. And you can't make an exception? Not even this once?"

"Not unless it was a grave emergency. However, if you are truly struggling that much at the prospect of facing down a committee, I..." Edgeworth cleared his throat and picked up a case file; he was starting to feel a little ill himself. "I could provide some legal advice."

"Really?" Maya perked up like a hound that had caught the scent of fresh blood.

"Yes." Edgeworth reached into his desk and retrieved a folder labeled 'FAQ'. "While it may only be a cursory level of information, basic navigation skills of the legal system can be used to safely traverse meetings. At the very least, you won't be roped into some agreement without a way of getting out of it."

Over the next hour, Edgeworth calmly explained different techniques to avoiding common contractual sand traps to Maya who subduedly camped out on his sofa, but he wasn't sure she truly was giving his advice her full attention. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere and she kept fidgeting with her hands in her lap and pulling at the gloves.

Still, she thanked him for his help and around four in the morning bid him farewell and let herself out.

"Hmph. That was odd." Edgeworth murmured once the door shut behind her and a pair of sandals clipped down the hall in a brisk clop. Perhaps it was because most people found him imposing, but he wasn't really used to someone approaching him for advice as if he were an overly sentimental, idealistic defense attorney, and not one of the most terrifying legal minds in the whole city.

Edgeworth supposed due to their history, Maya likely confused him and Wright past the point of reason, and, despite finding it a little painful, Edgeworth could grudgingly see why.

After all, he had volunteered to venture into the kingdom of Khura'in just like Wright had and had been involved with all sorts of Fey clan incidents just as Wright had, if not more so. In her mind, there probably was little difference between him and Wright, horrifying as it was to think about.

Snorting to himself, Edgeworth shook his head and opened up another case file.

Well, mistaken identity or not, Maya had gotten a modest amount of what she wanted and would be able to fend for herself, so it was fine. She had her own world to attend to and her own duties to fulfill, as did he, and Edgeworth suspected he wouldn't hear from her again for a very long time.

* * *

A very long time turned out to be nine the following morning.

 _"_ _It's gone!"_

"Miss Fey?" Edgeworth returned the phone receiver back to his ear once the ringing finally died down. "What are you talking about?"

"My talisman!" Maya's voice betrayed the obvious panic attack she was having. "The Master's Talisman, it's gone, vanished, vamoosed, poof! I'm supposed to keep it on me until the day I die, but it's gone missing and I can't show up to the meeting without it! Mr. Edgeworth, _what am I gonna do?!"_

"Alright, alright. First, calm yourself. Your pace of words is making it difficult to decipher." Edgeworth removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Where did you see it last?"

"I think I had it when I was looking for you."

"Alright. At what stage of your manhunt did you last see it?"

 _"I don't know!"_

"... good to know you're keeping track of these things."

"Mr. Edgeworth this is no time for jokes! This is serious!"

"Miss Fey, I assure you I am not one to make idle bouts of humor." said Edgeworth. "I am merely asking for the facts of the matter to make an accurate assessment of the timeline. So, if you would kindly tell me what you remember as concisely as possible without the over the top hysterics, I would be immensely grateful."

He was already exhausted. The last thing he needed was to be deafened as well.

"Um, okay." Maya took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I think the last time I checked to make sure I had the talisman, I was on the twelfth floor of your office building looking for you. I had it then, so-"

"So it's somewhere in the prosecutor's office." concluded Edgeworth. "Hm. I suppose that narrows things down a little. Very well. I'll start in my office, then. It's likely you simply dropped it somewhere, which means it can't have gotten far in just a few hours." The chief prosecutor extracted himself from his desk chair, steadied himself against the desk -good lord, his head hurt- and began to roam around his office in search of the garish trinket.

"Mr. Edgeworth, thank you so much! I owe you one!" Maya praised.

"Hmph. I'll remind you of that the next time you want something." Edgeworth got down on one knee and peered underneath the sofa. Unfortunately, the talisman wasn't there; only a few dust bunnies. Edgeworth frowned. If the custodial staff was cutting corners by allowing debris rabbits, he wasn't going to let that fly, not by a long shot.

Shoddiness, that's what _that_ was.

Annoyed at the incompetence of the janitorial squad, Edgeworth removed himself from the floor, dusted off his jacket, picked up one of the sofa cushions and pulled it free.

Sure enough, lodged in the back and just sticking out of the upholstery was the edge of a slick, shiny red box.

"Miss Fey, I believe I may have found what you're looking for." Edgeworth plucked the small box out of the crevice and turned it over. The yellow glint from the gold detailing on the side of the box was hard to look at thanks to his growing headache, but he could tell they were of a fine quality.

"You found it?!" Maya exclaimed over the receiver. "Mr. Edgeworth, you're a lifesaver! Where was it?"

"Deep in my sofa." said Edgeworth. "For an ancient relic you aren't allowed to let leave your side, you didn't pay it much heed, did you?"

"I was too distracted because I was looking for you." replied Maya. "Besides, it's super old. I bet the cord just snapped when I wasn't looking."

A quick glance at the cord told him that it had indeed snapped, but the fibers didn't look particularly frayed with age.

"Very well. Since this relic is of particular importance, I'll keep it safe until you or one of your associates can come retrieve it."

"Oh no! I didn't think about that..." Maya made a worried noise over the phone.

"Didn't think about what?" asked Edgeworth.

"I don't have _time_ to go get it! I'm already back home and I have to prepare for the meeting and I don't have time to go ride the train, get it, ride back and make it to my meeting."

"Then just send one of your subordinates to fetch it." He sent the detectives on errands all the time.

"Well... the thing is... I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I can't let anyone know I lost it and none of the other mediums are supposed to ever lay a finger on the talisman." explained Maya. "It's too sacred to just let anyone touch it. Only the master of the Kurain channeling technique is ever supposed to handle it. Anyone else who touches it without the master's rank is doomed to be cursed for all eternity."

Edgeworth looked down at the talisman clutched in his hand.

It was a good thing he didn't believe in curses. Otherwise he might've been a mite concerned.

"And yet you let the sofa eat it."

"The sofa's not a spirit medium, Mr. Edgeworth. It doesn't have to follow the same rules as us. That's why you're safe touching it too."

So he was on the same level of handling clearance as the sofa, then.

Lovely.

"And if anyone else found out I lost it... well... let's just say I would be in fourteen different kinds of hot water. So no, I can't say anything to anybody, not even Pearly." Maya made a pained noise that sounded half like a laugh, half like a groan. "Guess I'm pretty sunk, huh?"

"What do you propose to do about this, then?" Edgeworth inquired as pain in his forehead mounted pressure behind his eyes. "Do you expect me to drop what I'm doing and deliver it to you like an overly inflated errand boy?"

"Really?! You'd actually do that? Wow, Mr. Edgeworth, thank you! You're so nice."

"Wha- I- Now just hold on a minute, I was being sarcas-"

"Actually, that's just about perfect! You bringing it to me's a heck of a lot easier than any other option I can think of. I'd get it back and no one would know that I lost it and everything." Maya continued to praise gleefully. "There's literally no downside! Wow, Nick said you were smart, but who knew you were such a genius, Mr. Edgeworth. You've really saved my bacon!"

Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose, all the while trying to figure out how he was going to get himself out of the hole he'd dug.

"And you did say you would leave your work in the instance of an emergency. Well, this is about as urgent as emergencies can get!"

Great. Now she was using her own words against him.

Maybe she'd listened to his advice more than he originally thought.

"So, when can I expect you? If you're quick about it, I'll make it worth your while."

'In what possible way could she manage that' was what he wanted to say, but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the time being, lest he be bombarded with a list of potential rewards each more outlandish than the last.

"Miss Fey, I'll have you know that when I said emergency, I meant a matter of life and death, not a fetch quest regarding anyone's personal- nngh." A dull throb suddenly pounding in his forehead, Edgeworth snapped his eyes shut as a wave of dizziness crashed into his face, lost his sense of equilibrium, and crumpled.

Luckily, his solid wood desk broke his fall.

"Mr. Edgeworth, are you okay?" asked Maya; she must've heard the thump on her end. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Edgeworth waved her concern away, though she wasn't there technically there to see it, and pulled himself up from the desktop. "It's merely another headache. I've been having them a lot lately." He had been pulling concurrent all-nighters recently. It wasn't too much of a stretch to think his body was finally beginning to rebel.

"Maybe you should get some fresh air." Maya suggested. "Y'know... there's a lot of fresh air in Kurain village, lots of trees and mountains and fresh air and I felt a lot better when I got back here, so maybe you would too. That's all the more reason you should hurry and come here as quick as you can. It's worth a try, right?"

"Miss Fey, be that as it may-"

"And, to top it off, you can return my talisman while you're at it. See, two birds with one stone and everything!" Maya sounded rather proud of herself that she'd come up with such a, in her eyes, splendid idea. "You can't beat a deal like that. I'll even show you around if you like. Think of it like a little mental break from all that case filing and murdery stuff. It does wonders for Nick-"

Edgeworth bit back a groan and pinched his nose, though that did nothing to alleviate the headache at this point. He didn't have time for this. He had work to do. He couldn't just run off to Kurain village on a whim because Maya begged him to. He had responsibilities to uphold.

However, his head did feel like it was about to explode from the tension and as much as he hated to admit it, he could use the fresh air.

It was getting hard to breathe in his office.

"... when does the next train to Kurain village leave?"

The cheers could be heard down the hallway.

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of the first chapter. Thank you for reading and if you would, please leave a review. I'm always interested in feedback and would love to hear from you all. Anyway, thanks again for reading and please stay tuned for chapter two!


	2. The News and the Gossip

Chapter Two: The News and the Gossip

Though he never would have admitted it to another soul even under pain of torture, Edgeworth was beginning to feel better since he left his office.

He was still feeling ill when he made his way down to the lobby, told the bland looking receptionist at the front desk to redirect all of his calls to his personal mobile phone and hailed a taxi to take him to the train station because he didn't trust himself driving, but little by little, the headache in his forehead had subsided somewhat.

By the time the train pulled out of the station and was well on its way to Kurain Village, Edgeworth was no longer having such a difficult time drawing in air, nor did he feel like a ten ton load of bricks were piled upon his head.

That relief alone was worth the price of the ticket.

Covering a yawn with the back of his hand, Edgeworth perched his chin in his palm and stared lazily out the window as the train sped down the countryside. He didn't usually spend much time outside the city anymore, in fact he hardly ever left it, but that didn't mean he didn't find a modicum of solace watching the ever changing landscape as the bullet train zipped down the line at 200 miles an hour. While he might not have been one to wax poetically, there was something inherently calming about the untouched pastoral scenery, a far cry from the concrete jungle he stalked daily as the top legal predator.

Yawning again, Edgeworth exhaled slowly and let more of his weight sink against the plush seat of the train's first class car. Though the hum of the train did pulse through the car, the exhausted prosecutor didn't hear anything except the lull of his own steady, if still somewhat labored, breathing and the tiniest cling of a bell jingling from inside his burgundy coat's left breast pocket.

Deep in his coat, Maya's precious talisman sat safely tucked away from harm, but each time the train jostled ever so slightly, the little decorations on the box would make the sound of a tinkle of a bell, just enough to remind him it was interested in being back in the hands of its owner.

That, frankly, was just fine with him.

The sooner Maya had her trinket back, the sooner he could get back to the city, his work, and his headache.

Besides... the sound wasn't annoying or any such thing.

It was actually rather soothing in a way. It was so soothing, if he wasn't careful, it could potentially lull him into a state of semiconsciousness.

Not that that was going to happen, of course.

Edgeworth never needed, nor did he ever take...

... naps.

...

"... sir..."

Someone was talking to him.

He didn't care.

"Sir, can you hear me?"

No. He wasn't taking delivery.

Go away.

"Sir, you need to wake up right now! I have something of the most important nature to tell you and you need to be awake in order to hear it!"

Grrr... someone was getting a pay cut for this.

With all the beauty and grace of a bear denied its hibernation, Edgeworth cracked one bleary eye open and glared at whomever had been stupid enough to disturb his slumber.

He soon found that, unfortunately, it wasn't someone whose salary he could slash.

Standing in front of him was a thoroughly dull, yet enthusiastic, squatty young woman in a blue train uniform waving a white flag at him in an attempt to get his attention. Her flat brown hair was cut in a bowl style, likely from just sticking a bowl on her head and having at it with a pair of sheep sheers, her face was the picture of disinterest from her pug nose to her brown eyes, and there was nothing remarkable about her at all, but in spite of that, she seemed bound and determined to get his attention whether he liked it or not.

"Ah, there you are, sir!" The attendant buoyantly waved the flag back and forth like a baton. "Thank you for waking up! On behalf of the Blue Star train line, we thank you for rejoining the world of the living so that we may announce this important announcement just for you!"

Edgeworth didn't respond. He just glared at her some more.

"Uh..." The attendant paused. "Sir, you _are_ awake, aren't you, sir? Do I need to wake you up again, sir?"

Edgeworth snorted. Apparently, the 'do not disturb' signs attached to the compartment doors meant absolutely nothing on this train line.

"No, there's no need for that malarky again. You have your wish. I'm awake." Grudgingly, irritatedly and utterly unenthused, but awake. "What is it that was so important you felt the need to disturb me despite the sign posted on the door?"

Being sleep deprived was one thing, but to get a taste of sleep only have it yanked away at the last minute were grounds for ruining even the most tailored of moods.

"I just wanted to let you know that Kurain village is coming up." The attendant announced just as the lights above flickered violently on and off." _Gah, you stupid lights, work already-_ Please be ready to depart at a moment's notice, for your stop is coming up and it would not do to miss your intended point of departure!"

Oh.

Making sure he didn't miss his stop was a good enough reason for waking him, he supposed.

Also, they needed to fix the lighting if it was that much of a problem.

"How did you know when my stop was?" Edgeworth looked at his ticket; he hadn't thought it specified where he was going, just when and where he got on.

"It is the duty of every train attendant to memorize the tickets of all their passengers and bring them to a speedy delivery to their destinations!" saluted the attendant. "Simple procedure, sir!"

Edgeworth highly doubted that on both accounts.

"I see. Very well, you have my thanks." Edgeworth reached into his pocket and retrieved an antique pocket watch attached to a silver chain anchored in his black waistcoat's pocket. Hmph. Two hours had gone by and he hadn't even noticed.

He was more tired than he thought.

"You are most welcome, sir!" chirped the attendant. "Do you need any assistance with any luggage, parcels and/or livestock today? For if you do, please direct yourself to the nearest train attendant for help with all things bag-like and fyi, that's me!"

Edgeworth stared at her incredulously. This was the first class carriage. Who in their right mind would be smuggling livestock in here at all, let alone to the point they would need to rope the train attendant in as an accomplice to extract it?!

"No, thank you. I am fine handling the situation on my own." Edgeworth rubbed the last few remnants of sleep from his eye and stood. "You've done enough by alerting me. That will be all."

Hopefully she would take the not so subtle hint that this was the time to go away and leave him to his own devices.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?"

"Yes." Edgeworth replied in a clipped tone, reaching for his briefcase and removing it from the top rack.

"Oh. Okay then."

Oh, thank god. She got it.

"Then I will simply provide decent, yet cordial conversation until the train has stopped in order to pass the time before you depart!"

No... no, she didn't.

"That's not necessary-"

"Sir!" The attendant's eyes sparkled with obtuse tenacity the likes of which he had only ever seen glint in Larry's face whenever a female was concerned. "It is the duty of every attendant to make sure that their passengers are attended to in every stage of their trip and if I were to make even the slightest infraction of conduct, that would be a slap in the face for all attendants everywhere! That being the case, I must continue the conversation so you do not feel at any stage of your trip neglected. So, have you ever been to Kurain Village before, sir? I don't think I've ever seen you before and I make a special point of knowing everyone and everything on this line." The attendant leaned against the side of the sliding door, completely blocking his only means of escape.

Edgeworth spared her a calculating glance out of the corner of his eye, though he remained silent. The more he looked at the situation, the more it was clear to him she wasn't going to go away, even after he all but threw her out of the compartment.

It seemed he was, for the most part, stuck.

"Yes, I have been there before." He finally replied with a sigh, though his tone was more curt than a waiter who'd been undertipped.

"Is your trip of a business nature?"

'Yes, and none of yours.' is what he wanted to say, but Edgeworth opted for the politer version and said, "Yes, but it's only for today. I plan to return to the city later tonight."

"Ah, I thought business might be the reason for your trip." perked the attendant. "Getting a session with a medium's the only reason anybody ever goes to Kurain Village these days. Even though it's a cute little place, the village is almost empty. In Kurain, either you're a spirit medium, or you leave. Not much for men to do since only women can inherit the gift of channeling, and if the women don't have it, they leave too."

Yes, if he remembered correctly, he vaguely recalled being told that once, though the details of the instance were muddled.

"And it doesn't help their reputation went through the mud a ways back because of a murder case gone whackadoo."

 _That_ instance, however, was most decidedly NOT muddled.

"... you don't say."

"Mmhm, it was all over the news ages ago." This attendant had no sense of subtlety. "However since the new master took over, the village's popularity hit a new high. People come from all over to get a reading. So is that why you're going, to meet with a medium?"

"Something along those lines." said Edgeworth.

"Oho, that's exciting, isn't it, getting to meet with a medium for a channeling session?" continued the overly chatty attendant who obviously never cornered the passengers long enough to talk this much. "I've never seen the channeling myself, but then again, I don't need to go around talking to dead people either, so what do I know? Everyone who sees it swears it's the real deal, though. My brother's girlfriend's uncle's neighbor's florist went to get a reading done and by the time she was finished, she was convinced she finally got to say goodbye to her mother- Hey, maybe if you're lucky, the master herself will be the one doing the channeling. That's what everyone hopes for when they go."

"Why's that?" asked Edgeworth. "If it's done properly, isn't the result the same regardless of who conducts the session?"

"That's not what keeps the customers coming back." The attendant grinned broadly. "Y'see, the mediums in the village might be the real deal, but the big draw for people to go there on business is the master herself."

"How so?" A silver eyebrow arched above his glasses.

"Well... according to the scuttlebutt around the trains, the master of the channeling technique is, no pun intended, drop dead gorgeous." The attendant made an outline of a curvaceous woman with her hands for emphasis. "A stone cold knockout. People expect wrinkly old ladies and spinsters with saggy skin when the phrase 'spirit medium' gets brought up, but thanks to the New Year's issue of 'Oh!Cult!' magazine that featured an article about the master returning to the village from her training in a far off land, the demand to get a session scheduled skyrocketed. Actually, I think I have one on me somewhere in here- hang on." The attendant fished into the bag at her hip and after a moment of digging, retrieved a rolled up magazine.

"Here, you can have this one."

She handed him the magazine and Edgeworth unrolled it to find a picture of Maya, obviously taken by a paparazzi, plastered to the front cover, though it wasn't by any means an unflattering photo.

"And this is a fairly old issue, you said?" Edgeworth appraised the magazine carefully.

"Yeah. Normally I charge for those, but since you're new to the line, I'll make an exception this once. Think of it as a new customer perk."

"Thank you." Edgeworth placed it carefully into his leather briefcase. He'd read it later when he had time. "So the master is popular, then. I had no idea."

Though he believed it, picturing Maya being in professional demand was rather difficult for him to muster. It went against everything he knew about her.

"Oh yes! She's especially popular with the older businessmen trying to get advice from their dead bosses and stuff." nodded the attendant. "One of the businessmen said it was worth every last dime he had just to get her to channel his old lady long enough to ask her where she had put his keys before her heart attack."

"Why would he do that?" Edgeworth folded his arms over his chest. "That sounds like a colossal waste of money."

"I think he was more interested in talking with the master than the channelling, actually." said the attendant. "He said something about that, oh, what was it... Oh! I remember. He said the master 'wasn't a big gal, but she was big in all the right places, so it was worth the price of admission any day'."

A pang of hot indignation stabbed Edgeworth right in the chest.

So even in this day and age, the common masses were far more interested in their own carnal pursuits rather than the merit of an individual's dedication, hard work or skill.

How distastefully licentious.

"Hmph. It doesn't matter to me what someone looks like so long as they are competent and efficient at their chosen profession." Edgeworth said coldly and turned to the window. "I don't particularly care who I see, as long they get the job done."

The fact he was only delivering a parcel was not the point.

"... oh." The attendant seemed a tad taken aback by the abrupt sternness of his manner. "Er... okay. Huh. Maybe I was trying to sell a cat to a man who prefers dogs..."

"Pardon?" Edgeworth glanced icily over his shoulder.

"Er, nothing, sir!"

"Nngh." Edgeworth's headache was threatening to come back any minute now, he could feel it- had she really thought he hadn't heard her? "How long until the train reaches the station?"

"Let's take a little ol' looksee at the handy dandy watch and find out!" The attendant pulled out her own pocket watch. "I believe we have about ten minutes until the train arrives. Also, if you have any more questions, please direct them towards the nearest train attendant, which in this case is me, Milly Time!"

* * *

That turned out to be the longest ten minutes of his life.

By the time the train pulled into the station, Edgeworth crossed the threshold as fast as he could manage while still maintaining his dignity, though none probably would have blamed him for bolting had they known he had just been subjected to a lecture on the finer points of window maintenance.

Edgeworth could understand dedication to one's profession, but there was eagerness, there was zeal, there was fanaticism, and then there was... whatever _that_ was.

"It looks like I lost her." Edgeworth breathed in relief as he briskly stepped onto the platform, barely missing a shabby looking young man that dodged in front of him, and looked out onto the sea of other passengers departing the train. As much as he was loathe to admit it, Milly did seem to have known what she was talking about in regards to the passengers. The majority of people getting off the train at Kurain Village were either women of all ages, or business looking men muttering to each other about their appointments.

He was relatively alone in his own demographic.

"Alright, I'm here. Now what?" Edgeworth narrowed his eyes behind his glasses and searched for a sign to get his bearings. Unfortunately, even as the crowds dispersed, he didn't see anything remotely of use to guide him in the direction of Fey Manor...

... that was, until he spotted a familiar looking young lady with two rings of brown hair perched on top of her head in an acolyte's uniform wandering about the train platform, turning her head from side to side in search of something and chewing on her thumbnail.

"Pearl?" Edgeworth said aloud in shock before he realized it.

"Huh?!" The young medium almost jumped out of her skin and wheeled around on the spot, only to inhale sharply into her outstretched hand. "Mr. Edgeworth?! What are _you_ doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Edgeworth approached Pearl and made a mild gesture towards the platform. "Is there a reason you are standing around the train station looking lost?"

From what Wright told him, Pearl had an excellent sense of direction and was quite capable of getting herself around with little difficulty, so it was odd fathoming that she was wandering vaguely all about.

"Oh, I'm not lost. Mystic Maya asked me to go to the train station to meet a friend of hers- wait, did... did she mean you?!" gasped Pearl. "Are you the person she was expecting?"

"She didn't specify?" Edgeworth's eyebrow arched.

"She didn't get a chance." Pearl smiled weakly. "Mystic Maya was ushered into the channeling chamber before she could tell me who was coming to visit her today and then she has to prepare for the meeting at three o'clock with the Synod of Elders, so I kinda came here not knowing what or who to expect. However, I'm not cross or anything. I'm happy I can help. She's been under a lot of pressure lately, so if there's anything I can do to help Mystic Maya, I'll do it."

"I see. Then to answer your question, yes, I am whom she is expecting." replied Edgeworth, though not without a small bit of amusement at her stupefied expression. "I came at the behest of Miss Fey. She specifically requested my presence, though I cannot stay long."

Lord that was an understatement if he'd ever made one.

"Hang on, if _you're_ here, that must mean Mr. Nick is with you too, isn't he?" Pearl practically glowed with excitement. "Oh, that's wonderful! Do you know where he is? I need to speak with him right away."

The lines in Edgeworth's forehead deepened and he readjusted his glasses that were sliding down his nose. He didn't particularly take much joy in ruining Pearl's aspirations, but she was going to find out soon enough. Best just to tell her and get it over with.

"Actually, in this one rare instance, Wright doesn't have any reason to do with my being here. I came by myself."

Like he suspected, Pearl's smile vanished and her little bagel-like hairstyle drooped.

"I know. I don't believe it myself." Edgeworth shook his head and readjusted his glasses again; they just wouldn't stay up. "Be that as it may, it's still the truth. I am, for all sakes and purposes, alone."

"You... you came by yourself?" She repeated. "Why?"

"The nature of my visit is a matter of... delicacy." Edgeworth chose his words carefully; Maya had been most adamant on keeping her missing talisman a secret, but he saw no merit in lying to Pearl either. "I am afraid I cannot disclose the details to you without Miss Fey's express permission."

"O-oh. Well..." Pearl bit down on the nail of her thumb again. "If it's that serious a matter to Mystic Maya, Mr. Edgeworth, I won't pry. I'm sure she has her reasons for keeping something quiet."

Edgeworth found himself approving of Pearl's natural discretion. Though she had a penchant for flights of fancy according to Wright, who, upon further pressing, wouldn't elaborate, she was truly devoted to her cousin and he could not fault her for that.

"A-anyway, if you're ready, let's head to the manor so you can speak with Mystic Maya properly." smiled Pearl. "We shouldn't keep her waiting. Please, this way." She beckoned him to follow and trotted off at a brisk pace and Edgeworth followed silently behind her, grateful for the reprieve in conversation.

He'd been all Milly'ed out.

However, as the pair traipsed through Kurain Village, Edgeworth couldn't help noticing just how glum Pearl was acting. Normally she was the picture of cheerfulness, but not today; she instead kept a steady gaze on her sandals and remained morose as they journeyed along. He figured she was probably simply disappointed that Wright hadn't come along. If memory served aptly, the young acolyte was particularly fond of him and was always happy to tag along with him on his escapades.

In fact, that's how Edgeworth was introduced to her, during one of Wright's trials.

Then again, Pearl usually kept a decent reign on her emotions. The only times she really lost it was when she was worried about her cousin-

"Mr. Edgeworth, may I... ask you something?" Pearl suddenly stopped, but she didn't turn around. "Please? It's important."

Edgeworth ceased his stride as well.

"If it's such a matter of importance that you would wish to ask me, then by all means, continue."

"O-okay..." Pearl took a deep breath and steadied herself. "What is your relationship to Mystic Maya?"

Edgeworth blinked in astonishment. What brought this on all of a sudden?

"I think... our relationship would be classified as 'friends'."

It was a good thing he and Maya had clarified that earlier that morning or else he wouldn't have known what to say.

"I see. And, as her friend, you would want to help Mystic Maya if she were in trouble because that's what friends do, right?"

"Of course."

Hadn't he already proved that when he pretended to be a defense attorney when Wright was in the hospital for falling off a bridge? She was there for that, wasn't she? He couldn't remember clearly.

"Well... alright. If that's how you view Mystic Maya, then you're who I need to talk to." Pearl yanked up one of her sleeves like she was attempting to look tough. "I need your help. Something's wrong with Mystic Maya."

Edgeworth's eyebrows shot upwards.

"What do you mean?"

"Something's wrong with Mystic Maya. She's been acting strangely lately and I think something's really wrong." said Pearl. "I'm sorry for asking you, I would have asked Mr. Nick instead, but he's not here and I don't have anyone else to turn to right now and you're right here in the village and everything, so-"

Edgeworth sighed. What was this, 'National Plead at a Prosecutor for Help' day in Kurain Village? Still, he nodded once in agreement.

"You will?" Pearl's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. I don't know how much help I can be in a matter such as this, but I will assist in any way I can and offer insight when appropriate." said Edgeworth. "That may be limited given my skill set, but yes, I will help you."

"Thank you so much!" Pearl beamed at him gratefully.

"Yes, well... why don't you start from the beginning and tell me the facts of the matter?" Edgeworth suggested, folding his arms across his chest. "Also, make sure to keep it to just the facts. Sophistry and speculation without evidence are useless in piecing together a proper case."

"Really?" blinked Pearl. "But speculation and guesswork are the only tools Mr. Nick uses when _he_ puts together a case."

"Don't remind me." Edgeworth shuddered at Wright's lack of organization. "Back to the matter at hand, when did this first start? When did you notice the change in Miss Fey's demeanor?"

"Well..." Pearl directed them both to a bench under the glass rain shield next to the bus stop. "It was about two weeks ago, right after the first summons Mystic Maya got from the Synod of Elders."

"The first summons?" repeated Edgeworth as he carefully sat next to Pearl on the bench. "I thought today was the first time she was summoned to go before them."

"No, today's the second time." said Pearl. "The first time, Mystic Maya was so excited to show them all what she'd learned, she even practiced her Synod speech in the mirror when she thought nobody was looking to make sure she had it down right."

"Miss Fey seems to have grown considerably during her extensive training in Khura'in." noted Edgeworth.

"She's blossoming into a proper leader. Anyway, the meeting went well according to the people who attended it, and Mystic Maya did an amazing job at performing her newfound abilities, but right afterwards, one of the members of the council pulled her aside for a one-on-one meeting and when she came back out, Mystic Maya looked like she'd seen a ghost."

"Isn't that an occupational hazard in your line of work?"

"No, I mean, she looked like she stared into the face of death itself." said Pearl. "I was waiting for her outside the council member's chambers and I saw her face when she came back out. She looked miserable. I've never seen her so sad in my life."

"Miserable?" Edgeworth frowned; that didn't sound like Maya at all. "How so?"

"Like she had just seen someone she cared about killed right in front of her." Pearl started chewing on her nail again. "Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but ever since she met with that council member, Mystic Maya's changed. She used to joke and laugh very easily, but lately she's been really serious and focused on her work and whenever she does laugh, it's always strained, like she's trying to stop herself from crying and laughing's the only way to keep it at bay. She's been distant, she's not getting any sleep, she's been up at all hours of the night, pushing herself in her training too hard to the point she's gotten sick, muttering to herself all the time and she's not even eating. I'm really worried."

Edgeworth could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Maya, the bottomless stomach of legend, wasn't eating? Drawing from his past experiences, he couldn't think of one solitary instance Maya had turned down a meal.

"I can see why you became so concerned." agreed Edgeworth, his brows furrowing deep against his eyes and his mouth set into a thin line. "Did you confront her about the issue?"

"I asked her what was wrong, but all she did was smile and told me everything was going to be alright, but I know that's not true. She's beside herself worried about something, I can tell."

"Do you have any idea what this might be?"

"No. I don't." Pearl fiddled with her hands. "I didn't think Mystic Maya would keep secrets like this from me, but with all that's happened, I... I'm not sure."

Edgeworth sat on the bench with his chin perched in his hand, processing all of what the little medium told him at large. From what he could extrapolate from the testimony, something was deeply disturbing Maya and causing her great distress, which was not acceptable. Something during that private meeting with the Synod Elder must've affected her so greatly, she became desperate enough to seek Edgeworth out for help in the middle of the night and not care to what lengths she took to find him.

On a lesser note, however, he now understood why she didn't want to stand in front of the Synod alone, and more importantly, why she didn't turn to Wright for lawyerly council.

While he might've been a decent attorney, Phoenix Wright was not an intimidating presence against a pack of old ladies.

Edgeworth, on the other hand, had fended off Wendy Oldbag for years.

Still, the main piece of the puzzle remained a mystery.

What could possibly be so horrible, so desperately upsetting, that would cause her to act so oddly and moreover, why wouldn't she tell anyone?

"Did you check with that little stone thing Wright uses?" Edgeworth finally suggested. "That strange stone that looks like a nine. Did you check for 'psycho-locks' to see what she's hiding?"

"The magatama?" Pearl seemed surprised he knew about those. "When I first asked her, I didn't have a charged one with me. Then when I tried to ask her again while hiding one in my pocket, she brushed me off and ran for it before I even got the question out all the way."

Edgeworth smirked. So Maya was even actively avoiding detection with the magatamas, not because she'd confess under pressure, but because she knew she would be discovered having a secret in the first place, and that in and of itself would be enough to attract suspicion of her cousin.

Clever girl.

However, none of this sat well with him at all.

Not only had Maya lied to him about the meeting today being her first time in front of the Synod of Elders, she was keeping a deep secret from her most devoted cousin, lying about eating too many pancakes to cover up her ill complexion, lying about her tired appearance at his office, lying about why she needed him to accompany her to the village, lying about her outburst in his office by claiming it was to spare Wright; What else had she lied about? What was the point? Why waste the energy concocting a story?

... actually, the more he thought about it, the more Edgeworth started to piece together a plausible theory.

Now, Edgeworth knew liars. It was practically his job to know liars, and expose them just for what they were: lying liars who lie.

He also knew Maya Fey.

Maya Fey was not a pathological liar.

She didn't lie for the thrill of it, nor out of boredom, nor to get herself out of trouble. In general, she was an honest person who made a habit of being a little too honest for Wright at times, though Edgeworth personally found it refreshing.

No, the only times he ever witnessed her lie was when she was attempting to spare her cousin's feelings any harm, or when she was attempting to cover for someone else, like when she had during the trial of Iris of Hazakura Temple.

If Maya Fey lied, she must've had a very good reason for doing so, or at least she thought so.

Therefore, she wasn't lying for her own benefit.

But for whose benefit was she lying?

"Pearl..." Edgeworth turned his attention to Pearl, whose own was still locked on her feet. "Perhaps it would be wise to resume our trek to the Manor. I would like to have a word with Miss Fey. I need to clear a few things up before I continue my investigation."

"Okay." Pearl got up from the bench and for the first time in the better part of a half hour, smiled at him and bowed low. "But before that, Mr. Edgeworth, I want to thank you."

"What for?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "I haven't done anything yet."

"I know, but you're going to." Pearl didn't move from her bowed position. "When Mystic Maya said someone was coming to see her, I hoped it was Mr. Nick, since he's her 'special someone', but even though he's not here, I'm not so worried anymore because you're here instead."

"'Special... someone'?" Edgeworth reiterated. "Explain."

"You don't _know_ what a 'special someone' is?!" Pearl gasped as if he'd just blasphemed against the Kurain founder herself. "Mr. Edgeworth, a 'special someone' is the person you care about the most. It's someone a person would be ready to do anything for, someone who they would risk everything precious for, someone who they would walk over hot coals, stare down a dragon, die a thousand times over for! A 'special someone' is the most important person anyone can ever have in the whole wide world!"

Edgeworth's expression grew dour.

"You watch a lot of soap operas, don't you?"

Pearl gasped again.

"How did you know that?"

"Never mind. So Miss Fey and Wright are intimate? I didn't realize their relationship had grown beyond the limits of friendship." Edgeworth thought aloud. "Wright never said as much. Not even when Larry goaded him for details of his personal life did he divulge anything of substance."

It was a wise decision Wright made that day. If he had kissed and told, Larry would have had the details posted on a billboard by nightfall.

"Well... it hasn't _yet_ , but I'm working on it." Pearl smiled a little sheepishly. "It's only a matter of time though, Mr. Edgeworth. You'll see. They'll figure it out in the end, I'm sure of it. All I've got to do is keep sending them on spiritual training retreats together and eventually they'll realize just how perfect they are for each other."

Ah. So they were only intimate in the mind of Pearl Fey. Edgeworth wasn't surprised. Capable with direction or not, females of a certain age were a rather fanciful sort, and it seemed this one was no exception.

"Do you have a 'special someone', Mr. Edgeworth?" asked Pearl. "Someone you treasure beyond all others?"

"No. No, I don't."

"Why?" Pearl watched him with wide eyes.

"I just haven't, that's all. There's not much else to say about it." Edgeworth retorted a little more defensively than he initially intended. How did the conversation take _this_ turn?! First he was being judged by the Judge during the trial with the wedding and now he was having to explain his life choices to a lovelorn matchmaking teenager?

"That must be so lonely." Pearl murmured sadly, her eyes brimming with sorrow and pity, both emotions he really disliked being directed towards him ever. "Don't you want to be around someone whom you care about more than your own life? Not to be alone ever again?"

"There are worse things in life than being alone, Pearl." replied Edgeworth coolly. "Now, shall we press on?"

"Yes, of course." Pearl, unlike that irksome attendant, thankfully got the 'drop the subject' tone in his voice. "Mr. Edgeworth... I know you said you couldn't tell me what Mystic Maya wanted you here for or why, but I just want to ask. Is she going to be okay? Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know yet, Pearl. However, it is my every intention to find out. That, I promise you."

That said, Edgeworth made to get up from the bench as well, but about halfway up, his vision became a technicolor disco of flashing, sparkling lights and he stumbled forwards.

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Pearl instantly rushed to his side. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Nngh... I thought this was over." He winced through gritted teeth; the headache had come back with a vengeance. "I'm fine. I just have a headache, that's all."

"Mr. Edgeworth, you look pale. You need to see a doctor."

"I'm fine, Pearl. I don't need to see a doctor. I'm healthy as a... as a.."

... what was he as healthy as again?

He couldn't remember.

"Mr. Edgeworth?"

... who?

No longer having any control over his basic faculties, nor caring that he didn't have them, Edgeworth's eyes rolled up into the back of his head, his body went slack, and he crumpled onto the pavement, out cold.

 _"_ _Mr. Edgeworth~!"_

* * *

(A/N- Just a little note here, but I wanted to say a quick thank you for those of you who favorited, alerted and commented. I really appreciate the feedback. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review!)


	3. The Skunk and the Hawk

Chapter Three: The Skunk and the Hawk

The next time Edgeworth opened his eyes, he found himself hazily staring up at an aseptic fluorescent tube hanging from a chain.

He was also lying down and had an oxygen mask strapped to his face.

'What... happened?' Gingerly pulling himself up into a seated position, Edgeworth grabbed the mask, pulled it off with one quick yank, and carefully massaged the back of his head where the elastic straps had cut into it. The sore spots in his scalp where the straps had half strangled him pulsated angrily in response to such ill treatment, but, after a minute of assuagement, he chose to ignore their lingering fury and instead limply looked around the room.

From what he could tell without the aid of his glasses, he was lying in a white bed propped up in an angle next to a closed window. An EKG machine registering his heartbeat sat next to the bed along with an almost empty oxygen tank, a couple of chairs with wrinkled cushions were smushed right up against the bed, and a white board chart with his name written on it in blue wipe-away marker hung on the opposite wall.

'I appear to be in a hospital room of some sort.' He thought to himself as the smell of antiseptic and hand sanitizer filled his nose. 'And, apparently, I'm the patient.'

Well, at least he had a clue of where he was.

However, what was he doing there?

'... Oh. that's right. I passed out, didn't I?' He blearily let his fogged gaze rove over the hospital room. The last thing he remembered, Pearl suggested he go see a doctor and in the time between then and now, she must've gotten her wish.

He didn't remember actually admitting himself to a hospital, though.

As a rule of thumb, Edgeworth hated hospitals. He could handle entering one if he was visiting someone, but being a patient was a completely different endeavor. He didn't like the poking, prodding, and pinching, there were too many strange sensations invading his personal space all at once, and he didn't like it when the staff looked at him with any modicum of pity.

Doctors' offices and hospitals brought back too many bad memories; memories that were better off forgotten, yet refused to go.

Actually, speaking of strange sensations, Edgeworth noticed that his neck was colder than usual. One quick glance at the thermostat on the wall told him the temperature was stable at 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but his skin prickled around his neck with a case of the shivers and he was wracked with a nasty chill.

'Do I have a fever?' He gently rubbed the nape of his neck with one hand and let it work its way around to the front. 'If so, I'm not surprised. I haven't exactly been taking care of myself lately, so it isn't an impossibility that I contracted a minor illness-'

Edgeworth's hand paused around the front of his neck near his clavicle.

'... where's my cravat?'

Edgeworth looked down.

He promptly blanched.

'To hell with his cravat, _where's my shirt?!'_

Completely unbeknownst to how he got that way, Edgeworth was totally bare from the waist up. He wasn't sure about the state of his lower half, since he was covered by a blanket- that, and he wasn't quite sure he was ready to check and find out just how manhandled he'd been while out of it- but his undershirt, shirt, waistcoat, suit coat, outer coat and cravat were all mysteriously missing, along with his phone, his glasses, and his briefcase.

The only things on his chest now were the electrodes of the EKG machine stuck to his skin and goosebumps.

Edgeworth sat numbly in the hospital bed, feeling thoroughly violated. Even after wracking his brain for an inkling of a memory regarding disrobing, he didn't remember taking his clothes off. Logically, he suspected it was probably the handiwork of the medical staff that had rendered him shirtless, but still...

'Oh, for god's sake, what are you doing?!' Edgeworth sharply chastised himself. 'Get it together, Miles. You're in a hospital, not the star attraction of a chippendale club. Focus.' He needed to keep hold of his faculties. Losing himself to his own mortification wasn't going to help anything. Steady heads prevailed in situations such as these, and if he was to get anywhere, he needed to approach this dilemma rationally and sensibly.

He could be in high dudgeon later.

Now more awake than before for more reasons than just time, Edgeworth looked around the room again for any clue of where his clothes had gone and realized that they hadn't travelled far. They were placed on a chair on the opposite side of the room, neatly folded and stacked in a pile with his glasses perched on top while his briefcase sat happily on the floor waiting for him.

Edgeworth breathed out a sigh of relief.

He might not have known the details of how he came to be that way, but at least he wasn't going to be arrested for indecent exposure.

Careful not to alert anyone that might be lingering outside, Edgeworth quietly slid out of bed, steadied himself for a moment, and found to his elation that while he wasn't wearing his original trousers, he had been given a pair of standard issue patient pajama pants in the meantime.

"Well, that's at least something." Edgeworth nodded appreciatively and tried to move towards his street clothes, but realized that he couldn't move very far because of the EKG electrodes attached to his chest didn't have a cord with a long reach. Now, most people when faced with a situation like this would've simply yanked the electrodes off, but Edgeworth knew better. If he removed the electrodes without having a technician shut off the machine first, the machine would emit a piercing alarm that would set the entire ward on him in a matter of seconds, a scenario he desperately wished to avoid if he could help it.

And, sadly, the only reason he knew that fact was the same reason he knew a lot of random trivial nonsense that was never going to help him at all in life.

Past personal experience.

So, no matter how he looked at it, he wasn't going anywhere.

Thoroughly annoyed and oddly weary, Edgeworth sat back down on the bed and ran a hand through his silver hair. This was ridiculous. He was already worn out and all he'd done was stand up. Biting back a yawn, Edgeworth leaned back against the mattress and his shoulders sagged into the cloth, feeling absolutely drained.

"Why am I so exhausted?" He murmured to himself. "I haven't done anything the past week except sit."

If not for his sure force of will, he just might've gone back to sleep right then and there.

Nevertheless, he couldn't rest just yet, no matter how much his body demanded otherwise. He had a box to deliver and an occupation that already had been delayed long enough to get back to. He couldn't just sit around in a hospital bed hoping that some time this century a doctor would grace him with their presence and kindly throw him out.

However... as much as he was loathe to admit it, he probably couldn't have gotten his shirt on even if he'd tried. The inner crux of his arm hurt terribly and he could barely bend it, let alone get it successfully through several layers worth of apparel.

So... that was a thing.

"Why is my arm in so much pain? I did _nothing_ to it." Edgeworth rotated the inner portion of his right arm and held it up without sitting up again. "It's not like I fell on it and broke it, because if I did, it would likely already be in a cast, so why on earth is- ah."

A score of beastly prick-marks pocked up and down his arm's antecubital fossa like picked zits on the face of a teenager.

"I see. How revolting. However, that would explain it, now wouldn't it?" He ran a few fingers lightly over the prick marks and grimaced when they squawked at his touch. "Hmph. I don't have an IV in right now, and that bag next to the bed is empty, so I expect this is likely from drawing blood. I can't fathom why they would need so much blood, though."

The last time he checked, he wasn't a vampire buffet.

Mildly intrigued by the sheer number of holes in his skin, Edgeworth observed the pock marks reflectively and poked them again.

They didn't like that very much.

"Ouch. Yes, these must be from drawing blood. Well, either that, or I've turned into a narcoleptic heroin addict-"

 _"_ _So, did you find out what's wrong with Mr. Edgeworth?"_

All the hairs on the back of Edgeworth's neck stood on end.

Somebody was right outside the room talking about him.

 _"_ _Yes, what's wrong with Mr. Edgeworth? He was fine and then he wasn't."_

Several somebodies, apparently.

 _"_ _The tests aren't all the way done yet."_ said a third somebody, who Edgeworth presumed was a man. _"We're still running tests, but from what I can tell just by doing some simple examinations, my cursory diagnosis is sleep deprivation, irregular nutrition habits, stretching himself too thin, and being an idiot for thinking he could survive that for as long as he did with no repercussions to his system. Other than that, he's peachy."_

Edgeworth bristled.

Getting murder cases put together in a timely, efficient manner did _not_ make someone an idiot, thank you very much.

Besides, sleep was for the weak and he was...

His head throbbed so hard, his eyes shut out of reflex.

... fine.

Alright, maybe he wasn't fine. He was utterly spent physically, but that was of little consequence. He had work to do.

 _"_ _So when is he going to wake up, do you think?"_ asked the first voice. _"Is there anything we can do to wake him? I mean, I can shout pretty loudly, but I'm not sure that would work unless I shouted 'Objection' and pointed at him like this-"_

 _"_ _He'll wake up when he wants to wake up, so kindly get your finger out of my face, Mystic Maya."_ said the third voice. _"And don't even think about bellowing in here unless it's an emergency. What he needs right now is sleep, fluids, oxygen, and no stress. That means no shouting, no exclamations, no strenuous activities, and no arguments."_

 _"_ _Oh, man... Those_ _are_ literally _his favorite things."_ said the first voice with a sigh. _"Mr. Edgeworth's going to be so depressed when he wakes up."_

 _"_ _So there's nothing we can do?"_ asked the second voice. _"Not even a little bit?"_

 _"_ _Sorry, Miss Pearl, but that's a big no. Even after he wakes up, he's gotta stay put until the head doctor gives her say so. She wants to take another look at him after the blood work results come back and she finishes analyzing it. As far as I can tell, there was something that didn't sit well with her."_ said the third voice. _"However, you can go back in and stay with him if you want, so long as you behave."_

 _"_ _Really?"_ Both voices sounded very happy at that prospect.

 _"_ _Sure, whatever floats your boat."_ said the man's voice. _"I only called you out here so we didn't wake him. And, just to let you know, the head doctor'll come in later to poke him a bit, so if you want to camp out in there until then, that's fine. Just don't make a mess and don't play with the equipment."_

 _"_ _Okay, we'll head back in and let you know if anything goes wrong."_ The doorknob to the hospital room started to creak. _"And, if that_ _happens, I'll shout my head off, okay?"_

The third voice sighed.

 _"_ _If something goes wrong, just press the call button."_

 _"_ _That's not nearly as much fun."_ pouted the first voice, but she quickly switched to a cheerier tone. _"Okay, let's go, Pearly. Mr. Edgeworth's missing us, I can tell."_

The doorknob started to turn and before he even realized it, Edgeworth went limp and didn't move. He was too tired for this; he didn't want to talk to anyone. Besides, he was uncomfortable with the idea of being without a shirt in front of anyone, especially two young ladies.

Maybe if he played dead, they'd go away and leave him with his dignity relatively intact.

"Hi, Mr Edgeworth. We're back." Maya bustled into the room and beamed at him. "I hope you didn't get too lonely."

"He really does look peaceful." said Pearl with a wistful air as she followed her cousin inside and shut the door behind her. "I've never seen him this unwound before."

"Yeah, me neither." agreed Maya. "He usually looks so tense and taut all the time, like a spring in a suit. Then again, he's not wearing a suit right now, but hey."

"Mmhm, I don't think I've ever seen him with anything less than three layers on. It's kind of weird seeing him without."

Edgeworth internally cringed.

"Oh... yeah. You're right."

"Mystic Maya, don't stare!" squawked Pearl. "What if Mr. Edgeworth was awake? He'd be so embarrassed you were staring at him when his shirt was missing, he might cry!"

He was secretly considering it.

"Huh? _Oh!_ Er, sorry, sorry! I wasn't staring, I just got caught in a fuzz out, a brainstorm, that's all." Maya apologized with a slightly chagrined laugh. "Anyway, it's really a shame we couldn't just get Nick in here to shout at him until he wakes up. That generally works in court to get Mr. Edgeworth up and about."

"It's unfortunate we can't get Mr. Nick here, I agree. Even when out of court, when Mr. Nick shouts his name, Mr. Edgeworth always shows up with an extremely pertinent piece of evidence that helps solve the case and brings the trial to a swift conclusion that ends in a 'not guilty' verdict, whether he meant to or not. I'm certain it would have worked this time as well."

Edgeworth's eyelid twitched.

"That is very true." said Maya. "Although, Nick usually tends to shout his name _after_ he shows up with the evidence, but I suppose the effect's still the same. Just strike that and reverse it, okay?"

"Why does he do that?" asked Pearl.

"I'm not quite sure." replied Maya. "It's really a nervous tic more than anything else. I don't think Nick even knows he's doing it half the time."

"Mr. Edgeworth makes Mr. Nick nervous? I suppose his stare can be a little intimidating, but..."

"I think Nick's fine most of the time, but sometimes along rolls the anxiety wagon and he's gotta jump on the back for a hayride." said Maya. "I personally think it's a case of cravat envy, myself."

"Well, it _is_ very fluffy."

"I know, right? I've always wanted to pet it- Oh, his mask fell off. I wonder when that happened."

'Oh no.' Edgeworth thought to himself while keeping his face neutral. 'Not that infernal mask again.' Why did Maya have to notice _that_ of all things?!

"It must've happened when we were outside talking to Phil." Maya continued thoughtfully. "He was wearing it when we left, so he likely knocked it off in his sleep along with the blanket. He probably was sleep 'Objection'-ing or something, like a dog chasing after a squirrel."

What did she think he was, a border collie?

"Should we call a nurse?"

"No, I can handle it." Maya picked the mask off the ground. "I'll put it back on myself. It's just like any other mask. So long as you don't tie it too tightly, it should be fine."

If only the original person who applied the mask had known that-

Edgeworth's insides froze.

Wait... _what_ was she going to do?

"Alright, let's see here..." Maya circled the hospital bed -Edgeworth was feeling more like a piece of fresh carrion by the second- and leaned over the side of the mattress next to the oxygen tank. "I think I can get a good angle over here on this side. Pearly, can you spot me with the tank? I don't want it falling over. I don't wanna be a pancake, even if they are tasty."

"Okay, Mystic Maya." Pearl crossed the room, stood behind Maya, and held onto the oxygen tank with everything she had.

"Thanks, Pearly." Maya stuck one knee on the side of the mattress and, though he couldn't see, Edgeworth could feel the weight pressing down on the hospital bed as she climbed on.

Good lord.

"Okey dokey, let's just get this back on again, shall we?" Maya held up the mask and, much to Edgeworth's privately flustered shock, gently cupped his cheek in her hand to steady his face.

"Wow, his skin's really soft." The pad of Maya's thumb pressed against his cheek. "I wonder if he moisturizes. Oh, who am I kidding? He's Mr. Edgeworth. Of course he does. He's got some lines on here, though."

"Are those from frowning too much?" asked Pearl.

"I don't think so." Maya leaned in further and the hospital bed creaked under the weight. "I think they're from the mask being on his face too tightly. See those red marks around his mouth?"

She ran a finger along one of the lines, sending a shiver down his spine.

"See how the redness is starting to go away? That's how you can tell it's just tightness making that mark." said Maya. "They just put the mask on too tightly last time. Don't worry, Mr. Edgeworth. I won't cut off the circulation to your brain like they did. You're in good hands."

Literally.

It was a good thing Edgeworth was too petrified to react, because if he hadn't been, he might've just climbed up the wall.

Humming to herself, Maya loosened up the straps of the oxygen mask with a couple tugs and replaced it. Edgeworth twitched a little under the pressure of the mask, but it wasn't nearly as snug as it had been before, which was a significant relief to say the least.

"There we go." Maya sat back a moment to survey her handiwork. "Good as new- oh, no, not yet. His hair's all messy now. Pearly, do you have a comb on you? I need to fix this before he wakes up or he'll freak."

"I think I have one back in my room." Pearl started chewing on her thumbnail. "I can go get it, but I don't want to leave you all alone by yourself with-"

"Oh, hey. I'll be fine." Maya waved away her concern. "Don't worry about me. Worry about his hair and how much he'll wig out if he sees it. He's already in the hospital. The last thing he needs is a stroke."

Edgeworth internally scoffed. How vain did she think he was?

"Well... okay." Pearl let go of the oxygen canister. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

"Thanks again, Pearly!" Maya chirped and waved at her as she left the room. "I owe you one."

The instant the door shut, however, the atmosphere in the room changed. Maya's exuberance died away as soon as she was sure Pearl was gone and she exhaled like a balloon that had been punctured with a knitting needle.

"Hoo boy..." She sounded more exhausted than Edgeworth had ever heard her sound before. "It's just one thing on top of another, isn't it? First, it was all that garbage with the belligerent band of biddies, then that weirdo meeting with Mrs. Voyant, then the demand for channeling upped threefold, and now Mr. Edgeworth almost died on the way here. When it rains, it pours. Oh, well... I don't think Pearly suspects anything, so that's a plus. I feel pretty bad about keeping stuff from her, but I don't think she'd be able to help. If anything, she might make it worse. So, I guess I'm on my own for now. Well, at least until he wakes up."

The weight on the bed shifted again as she knelt down and retrieved the blanket from off the floor.

"Speaking of which, I'm really happy you came, Mr Edgeworth." Maya draped the blanket over the bed and tucked it in about halfway up his torso. "I know you can't hear me and I'll have to tell you again later, but I really wanted to say so now. I really, _really_ need you here right now, even if I can't tell you why."

She started running her fingers through his fringe to comb it out, at which point Edgeworth temporarily forgot how to breathe.

"For a minute there, I didn't think you were going to show up, but you came through like you always do. Honestly, I shouldn't have been so surprised. When you make a promise, you keep it until the end. That's a really admirable trait you've got there." Maya hummed. "However, you weren't supposed to half die on the way here, y'know. You practically gave me a heart attack when Pearly told me where you were. But you're okay right now, and that's the important thing, right? I think so, anyway."

Her fingers moved to the edges of the mask and dug underneath the plastic. From the touch, Edgeworth figured she was testing the tightness of the mask to make sure it wasn't too binding.

"Even so, I'm really sorry you passed out and I hope you wake up soon so I can tell you everything. It's a bit of a story, so- Hm?" Maya's fingers caught just underneath his chin. "That's strange. His chin's not moving. It should be fairly slack since he's out for the count."

Oh no.

He really _had_ frozen solid.

"Hm, maybe it's just a spasmed muscle. I hope not, those aren't any fun." Maya mused thoughtfully. "Well, that's nothing a little kneading can't fix."

 _K-kneading?!_

"Mr. Edgeworth, I'm sorry in advance about getting into your bubble like this, but you'll thank me later when you don't wake up with an awful crook in your neck." Maya leaned overtop his inert body until she was precariously teetering on only one leg and hand for support, and his breath hitched when her slender fingers made contact with the side of his neck, a place that had never before been touched by anyone other than himself.

"Aha, there's the shameful knotted offender. I have you now." Maya began rubbing a firm circular motion into the muscle knot right next to his jugular vein. "Okay, I'm just going to work this little knot out so you don't end up all crumpled when you wake up and once it's gone, I'll back off and leave you and your bubble _alone~!"_

"Oomph!" Edgeworth's eyes snapped open as all the air forced itself out of his chest. He coughed violently, gasping for air like a beached shark, but his breathing stalled when he saw the cause of the impromptu exodus of breath lying sprawled on his chest, her face directly where his cravat would've been had he been wearing one.

"Oww... ow, ow, ow." Maya propped herself up from where she landed so she was sitting astride his upper legs, wincing all the way. "Ouch, that _really_ hurt. I can't believe I lost my balance like that. Stupid wrist, it gave out on me. Man, I must be getting old. I can already tell I'm gonna feel that for a few... uh..."

It was at that point Maya realized the cushion she had fallen on was, in fact, awake and staring at her as she sat square in the center of his lap with her hands on his bare chest.

"Uh... Hi?" She ventured with an uncomfortable grin, looking more than a little awkward.

"... hello." Edgeworth managed to say, though it came out as a tight whisper; she didn't weigh much, but she'd really done a number on his chest when she'd landed on it.

"Did... you have a nice trip here? How was the train?"

"Fair to middling." Edgeworth replied, still breathing fairly heavily. "I don't remember the details much, though."

"Oh. I see." Maya suddenly leaned forwards, inadvertently pressing more weight down on his lap. "Mr. Edgeworth, I am _so_ sorry. I didn't mean to land on you, it was an accident. My wrist gave out and I fell. Are you okay? I didn't squish you, did I?"

'You're squishing me _now_.' thought Edgeworth, but he decided to keep that to himself.

"I shall live." He instead said calmly. "Don't be concerned, you caused no lasting injury. There's nothing wrong with me-"

"Except an acute case of carbon monoxide poisoning."

Both Maya and Edgeworth jumped, though given where Maya was sitting, Edgeworth really wished she hadn't done that.

Right smack in the doorway stood a woman whom Edgeworth could only describe as an anthropomorphized skunk.

About in her early sixties or so, this woman, whom he assumed was a doctor if her purple scrubs, lab coat and badge were any indication, had such a full ponytail of black and white hair perched on the top of her head, it was a minor miracle she didn't lose balance when it swayed from side to side. A purple magatama framed by four green beads hung around her neck as well, but by far the most prevalent thing she wore was the remarkably amused expression on her wrinkly face as she eyed the pair on the hospital gurney and wiggled her fingers at them in greeting.

"Hello there. Am I interrupting anything?" She leaned up against the door and grinned from behind a pair of fogged up coke bottle glasses. "I knocked, but no one answered. Now I know why. And don't jump like that when sitting there dear, you might just kill him if you're not careful."

Maya's face, as well as Edgeworth's, turned bright pink.

"What?!" Maya frantically waved her hands in an effort to deflect the implications, "No, it's not, I- it's not what you think, I-"

"Oh relax, Mystic Maya. Youth these days, so coy." The old skunk entered the room and started typing up some notes on the computer that hung on the wall. "Let me tell you, I've been around a bit and it's not the first time I've come into a hospital room to find a young lady straddling the lap of a man without a shirt on."

Both Edgeworth's and Maya's pink faces flared crimson.

"However, I do have some work to do, so if you would kindly take a little break from doing whatever it is you two aren't doing so I can do some tests on him, I'd appreciate it." The doctor looked back at them over her shoulder and sighed. "No, no, you don't need to move, dear. I can do this without you getting off, I'm a pro. Just lean back a bit so I can get to him. Yes, that's it, like that, like you're posing at the beach. Just don't fall off, you won't do anybody any favors. Now then, young man, let's take that pulse of yours before it gets too excited- Ah, it seems I was just in time. No wonder the EKG machine sounded like the drum beat of a salsa band."

The old woman grinned at him and wrote down some notes on her clipboard while the cold head of her stethoscope pressed down over Edgeworth's erratically beating heart.

"Your heart beat is pretty high right now, but it's stable at least, so I'm going to jot this high rate down to 'extracurricular pursuits', you naughty boy."

'... is it too much to ask for me to be able to curl up and die in a hole before things get inevitably worse?' Edgeworth stared up at the ceiling, his face redder than his coat, while Maya pressed her face into her hands in an attempt to disappear.

"But we really weren't doing anything." Maya protested weakly through her hands. "Honest-"

"Mmhm, that's what they all say." said the old skunk lady. "So I suppose that'd make you Mr. Edgeworth then, hm? Mystic Maya told us you'd be coming here for a quick visit today, but nobody guessed in _this_ capacity."

"Y-yes, that is correct." Edgeworth took a deep breath to maintain his composure; this was humiliating. "However, how did you know who I am and who are you, exactly?"

"Mm, I thought you might be him." The doctor ignored his inquiries in favor of her own train of thought. "Yes, it's not everyday a strappingly handsome young man like you comes strolling into our midsts. Most men around here these days are old and fuddy, but since I heard Mystic Maya was expecting a young man to arrive today, I put two and two together."

Edgeworth bristled again.

"Madam, I assure you, I am _far_ from young-"

"So you're not denying the other parts, then. Oho, you're a fun one, you are."

Edgeworth, his complexion ever redder, sighed painfully. What was it with old women getting a kick out of tormenting him with outlandishly embarrassing vitriol? Did he have a 'sexually harass me' sign glued to his back or something of that ilk?

"C'mon, Doctor Bolysm, don't tease him." said Maya. "He's had a bad day and he passed out in the street and the only reason he came here was to give me something back because I asked him to. He's just here to do me a favor, that's all."

"Yes, I can see that."

 _"_ _N-not that kind of favor!"_

... perhaps it wasn't just _him_ they liked to torment.

"Anyway, *ahem*, you said something about an acute case of carbon monoxide poisoning." Edgeworth decided that in order to power through this egregious ignominy, a change of topic was his best option. "What exactly did you mean by that?"

"Just what I said." The doctor typed some more on the computer and swung it around so they both could see the monitor. "Your blood tests showed you'd been exposed to carbon monoxide and that's why you collapsed in the street. We initially thought it might just be exhaustion, but the blood tests showed otherwise. Now, have you been suffering from headaches lately? Dizziness? An ill feeling in your stomach? Confusion? Flu-like symptoms?"

"Well I..." Edgeworth paused. Come to think of it, he _had_ been feeling ill. He did have that dizzy spell at the office earlier that morning and then again in the street.

"'Well, I', what?" asked the doctor. "Come on, then. Spit it out."

"Admittedly, I have had similar symptoms to that lately, but I thought that was the result of staying up too many nights." said Edgeworth, rather irritated at the doctor's abrasive bedside manner. "I've been working around the clock on my case files and haven't had much time to rest."

"Mm. Well, that didn't help you any, but nope." Dr. Bolysm shook her head. "The main cause is definitely carbon monoxide exposure, but, make no mistake, you didn't do yourself any favors with that sleep schedule. So stop doing that, you noodle."

 _"_ _N-noodle?!"_

"Is he going to be okay?" Maya temporarily forgot how embarrassed she was and leaned forwards again, eliciting an uncomfortable grunt from her seat.

"Oh, he'll be fine. The levels were low enough he won't suffer any long term damage, but you should consider yourself lucky, young man. Any more long term exposure and you could've died."

"But he won't now, right?" Maya pressed concernedly.

"No, he won't die just yet." replied the doctor. "However, it's likely wherever you've been spending a majority of your time has a carbon monoxide leak, so you'll want to get that checked out immediately. Any ideas where that might be?"

Edgeworth's brow creased as he began to retrace his steps. As of late, he hadn't gone beyond the usual haunts he frequented: the Prosecutor's building, his flat, and the court house. However, he hadn't spent much time in the courts to the point that it would've made much difference and nobody else had complained of an issue about the courthouse to him. Not that anyone would, with maybe the exception of the Judge, but he hadn't heard anyone muttering under their breath about feeling ill, so that ruled the courthouse out.

His flat was a decent candidate for a leak, but he hadn't been back to his flat in ages, or not for all that long, anyway. Just long enough to shower, pretend to sleep for twenty minutes, change clothes, and then head back out again.

In fact, the only place he had been anywhere for any length of time for the better part of a couple weeks had been-

"Actually, come to think of it, I wasn't feeling all that good when I was in your office last night, Mr. Edgeworth." Maya mused, her chin propped up in her hand. "I felt kind of funny, a little dizzy, and I had a terrible headache. I just put it off to not feeling very good myself because I've been really busy with... things, but after I left, I started to feel a little better. I'm not an expert, but that's a possibility."

... his office.

 _His office!_

"Miss Fey, I need my phone. Would you get it, please? It's in the breast pocket of my coat." Edgeworth gestured to the pile of clothing on the chair long beyond his reach, thanks to the ridiculously short range of the EKG electrodes.

"Right, I'm on it-"

"Oh, don't trouble yourself, your Mystic-ness, I'll get it for you." Dr. Bolysm strode over to the pile, picked up the coat, reached a hand into the inner breast pocket, and stopped for a moment. "Oh. Oho... I see. So _that's_ how it is."

"Huh?" Maya's eyebrow raised. "Is his phone in there?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, here it is. Go for it, darling." The doctor retrieved the phone and tossed the phone at the bed.

"I got it!" Maya caught it out of the air in one swift motion like a cat catching a butterfly and handed the freshly snatched phone to Edgeworth. "Here ya go."

"Thank you." Edgeworth quickly activated the phone, flipped through his contacts, selected one, and held it up to his ear. "Detective Skye? It's Edgeworth. I need you to call the fire department and evacuate the Prosecutor's building. There may be a carbon monoxide leak and I want every office in that building checked immediately, along with all of the personnel examined to make sure they haven't been exposed to any of the gas. Good, see that you do. What? Yes, I'm fine. No, I'm at the hospital getting checked out. Carbon monoxide exposure, apparently. No, no, there's no long term damage. I'll actually be on my way back soon-"

"What?!" Maya's jaw dropped. "Mr. Edgeworth, you're in no shape to head anywhere except back to bed-"

"Yes, that's Maya Fey you just heard bansheeing in the background." Edgeworth ignored Maya's outburst. "Which hospital? Fey Village hospital- An errand, that's why. Yes, I have been known to do errands from time to time if it suits me. Hm? Oh, very well. I'll tell her."

Edgeworth turned his attention from the phone to Maya.

"Detective Skye says 'hello'."

"Hi, Ema! Don't let him come back to work! Mr. Edgeworth passed out in the middle of the road and he almost died!"

" _Oh for_ \- What? Yes... yes, I did pass out. Yes, it was from the carbon mono- oh, don't _you_ start." Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I will be fine. Mmhm, fluids, fresh air and rest. I know. Anyway, I will be at the building later to oversee the procedures, so make sure they are underway by the time I get back. Thank you, Detective."

He pressed the 'end call' button on his phone and scowled at Maya.

"Was that _really_ necessary?"

"Yes." Maya nodded without remorse. "I like Ema and she'd be really worried about you if she knew just how close to dying you were."

"I wasn't close to dying, Miss Fey." Edgeworth responded wiltingly.

"Actually, the master's got you on this one, sonny jim." interrupted Dr. Bolysm. "I'm recommending you to stay the night until we get those veins and lungs of yours cleansed, and then if you're better enough to function and behave yourself, I just might let you out in the morning."

Edgeworth's brow furrowed. He didn't have time for this. He had an office to evacuate and though Detective Skye wouldn't fail him, he still didn't like the idea of completely delegating the safety of his subordinates to a third party, even if she was a trusted one.

"Very well. I will take that at your word." Edgeworth turned to Maya. "Miss Fey, if you would kindly get off and retrieve my clothes? I need my accoutrements if I'm to make the next train."

Maya's normally jovial face grew extremely serious, so much so Edgeworth found himself taken aback.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you need to stay here." She gazed into his eyes like she was piercing the back of his skull with her corneas. "You can't just go running off for the next train in the shape you're in. They can do it without you. You just put in a call to Ema, she'll sort it out and deal with the leak. She's capable. You, on the other hand, need to rest and recover."

"If she was not capable, I would not have contacted her." Edgeworth replied coldly. "However, it would be irresponsible to leave the situation to someone else when this falls directly underneath my jurisdiction. I have to go back. Once I give you what I promised I would, my duty here will be done, so there's no need for me to stay any longer than I have to. Besides, that was merely a recommendation on the part of the doctor. I am not obligated to follow it."

 _"_ _Mr. Edgeworth!"_

"Ah, we've got ourselves a live one." The doctor murmured and stuck her head out of the doorway. "Phil, I need a bag of number 16, stat."

"Gotcha." said a man's voice from outside the room.

"Mr. Edgeworth, Ema's got this. You need to get better pronto and the only way to do that is to make sure that all that carbon monoxide gets cleared out of your system. What if you pass out again on the way back and nobody's around? You could smack your head and die, or fall into the train tracks and die, or get hit by a car and die, or trip over a brick and die-"

"Miss Fey, I'm not going to die." Edgeworth rolled his eyes. Talk about dramatic.

"Not if I've got anything to say about it, you're not. That's why you need to stay here, so you won't die." Maya's cheek puffed out. "Don't make me call Nick on you."

Edgeworth snorted.

"Oh, and what's Wright going to do? Bluff me to death?"

"He just might, you don't know-"

"Hey, Dr. B. I've got the IV you wanted." A well built young man wearing purple scrubs, a white coat, and a face like a hawk wheeled in an IV stand that had a bag of mysterious liquid hanging from the hook. "Where's my target?"

"The man in the bed over there." Dr. Bolysm pointed at Edgeworth, though he didn't notice. "Better be quick, though. He's a wild one."

"Be that as if may, threatening me with Wright isn't exactly a foolproof method, Miss Fey." Edgeworth continued. "He's never been one to intimidate me, not even in the courtroom, so while it could be said that threatening Wright with me would yield results, the opposite does not always hold true, and what _are_ you doing?!"

"Fluids." said the young man who brought in the IV as he held Edgeworth's right arm steady while he swabbed it down with some antiseptic. "You can't get back on the train if you're low. Those things are notorious dehydrators and if you're on one for too long, you'll be jerky by the time you get back."

"Well, he's already being a jerk, so it's not that much of a stretch." sniped Maya. "Wow, your arm's all red and pocked. What happened, did you get attacked by an ant farm?"

"How am _I_ supposed to know?" Edgeworth shot back at her. "I was unconscious, if you recall."

"Phil?" Maya shifted her attention to the junior doctor with the hawkish face. "Why does his arm look like this?"

"Not from ants in any case, just a nervous intern. His veins kept rolling whenever she tried taking blood or putting in the IV bag, or so she said." The man named Phil ran a hand through his mussed jet black hair. "I ended up having to come in and take care of it because she ran out of the room crying. Again."

"Oh, so a rolling vein gathers no blood?" chirped Maya.

Both Edgeworth and Phil stared at her.

Maya grinned.

"Eheh, sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"Try to." said both men simultaneously.

"It's a little weird, though." Maya poked at Edgeworth's arm, causing him to grunt in pain. "It kind of looks like there are holes even where there aren't any blue veins underneath. She either really missed her mark, or his veins don't just move, they migrate."

"Don't worry. I'm going to talk to her about it later." Phil's yellow eyes narrowed as he put the needle in, and once it was in place, he stood back up and squeezed the bag a little to make sure it was draining properly. "Okay, I think that'll take care of it. Welp, see you later."

He then left the room.

"Alright, after the IV is done, then I will depart for the train station." Edgeworth stated, all the while trying not to look at the exposed needle stuck into his arm. "How long does this usually take to complete?"

"Well, let's see. The IV's just been put in, so I'd give you about..." Dr Bolysm looked at her watch. "Two minutes."

"What?" Edgeworth blinked. He couldn't have heard her correctly. "An IV surely takes longer than that to drip through its course. I can't possibly have been that... that... dehydrated."

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya pawed the side of his cheek as his eyelids began to droop. "Are you okay?"

"I think so... I'm... I'm just really tired all of a sudden. More than… I... I was." It was taking every ounce of strength Edgeworth had to stay lucid, and even with all his willpower, he was still fading fast. His eyelids were so heavy he could barely keep them open and the rest of his body felt like it was made of lead.

"Mmhm, two minutes." smiled Dr. Bolysm. "Good old number 16. It never fails."

Edgeworth's strained attention shot to the doctor.

"What... did you... do?" His breathing was growing more laborious by the second. "What... is in… that IV?"

"A powerful sedative." beamed the doctor. "Like you said, my recommendation was only a recommendation and you don't have to follow my advice, but conversely, I don't have to let you leave."

"W-why you...!" Edgeworth's ire skyrocketed and he tried to yank the IV out himself, but he was unable to do anything because his body refused to respond to his commands.

"And last I checked, you can't get back on a train if you're already riding the snooze one. So, nighty night and we'll be back to check on you later. Also, be nice to the master when you wake up. She's why you're here, after all."

With that, the doctor waved at them both and departed with a slam of the door.

"Well... I guess you're not going anywhere after all, huh?" Maya broke the silence when the dust settled in the wake of the door. Edgeworth's body sank further into the mattress. In spite of all his negotiation techniques and tenure as an esteemed prosecutor, he'd been outwitted by a bag of spiked saline.

This was just depressing.

"Mr. Edgeworth, are you okay?" asked Maya. "You don't look too good."

"I'm fine." Edgeworth's eyelids finally became too burdensome and they slid shut. "However... this is why... I hate doctors."

"Mr. Edgeworth, it's gonna be okay." Maya gripped his hand with her own and squeezed it tightly. "I'll stay right here the whole time if you want. I promise I won't let..."

He knew she was still speaking, but Edgeworth didn't register what else she said. His ears had long since shut off beyond the point of understanding.

Although...

... her hand _was_ pleasantly warm.

* * *

(A/N)- Hey, all. I just want to say thank you for reading, favoriting and alerting, and I wanted to give a special thank you to those who reviewed, too. I'm quite pleased that you guys took the time to do that and I appreciate all the feedback and commentary. It makes writing that much more fun. :D I also have realized that I need to say something else down here, since I've essentially just repeated myself twice with little variation, but unfortunately, I can't really think of anything right now. It's rather vexing. So, in the time between now and the next update, I will need to think of something. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and please review!


	4. Maya's Request

Chapter Four: Maya's Request

"This is debasing." Edgeworth sat limply in the hospital bed, looking royally irked.

"Oh, it's not so bad." Maya flumped down on the edge of the mattress. "Think on the bright side. The doctor said you're not supposed to go anywhere until you've had time to rest and now you'll have loads of time to do just that."

Edgeworth glared at her.

"Oh, hey, c'mon." Maya lightly cuffed him on the arm. "It's only temporary. Besides, by the time the tranquilizer wears off, you'll probably be able to get out of here, so relax."

"'Relax'? How am I supposed to _relax?_ I can't feel my legs."

"Can you feel your anything right now?" asked Maya.

"That's not the point." Edgeworth scowled petulantly. "Also, was it really necessary to handcuff me to the bed?" He flicked his head, which was the only thing he'd regained control over since waking, towards the psyche-lock handcuffs binding his wrists to the handrails on either side of the hospital bed.

"Okay, I'll admit that was a _bit_ overboard." Maya idly scratched the side of her cheek. "However, I'm not the one who came up with that. That was Pearly's handiwork. She looked so proud of herself when she cuffed your wrists to the bed frame and announced I shouldn't let you out until you gave into my demands, I didn't have the heart to stop her. Shame she didn't tell me the combo on the locks before she left, though. I would've let you out ages ago."

Edgeworth made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Pearl in the future.

"For the record, I can't say I'm overly fond of her negotiation methods." He snorted irritatedly. "It's tantamount to abduction and extortion, but I doubt she considered that."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that." Maya nodded thoughtfully. "You didn't seem like the type who'd like it, in any case. Hey, speaking of stuff I bet you really _will_ like, look what I brought!"

"What is it?" Edgeworth angled his gaze over the side of the bed as Maya dove into a brown paper bag next to it on the floor.

"It's a Steel Samurai box set!" Maya held it up for him to see. "I got this off the internet while I was still in Khura'in and since everybody there's into the Plumed Punisher-"

"A rip-off of a classic if I've ever seen one."

"-I figured I'd wait to watch it until I had someone other than Beh'leeb to show it to. She liked 'The Steel Samurai', but nobody else there really got just how amazing the original show is. However, since _you_ like the show a lot, this seems as good a time as any to check it out in all its uncut glory!" Maya's eyes gleamed enthusiastically. "What do you think? Sound like fun?"

Honestly... it did a little.

"Well... it's not as if I'm going anywhere." sighed Edgeworth. "Very well. I suppose that's fine."

"Hey, hey. I know you're just as big a fan of the show as I am, so don't try to hide it." Maya chastised him lightly with a mirthful grin. "I just so happened to have found that Steel Samurai comic stashed in your coat pocket, so don't tell me you grew out of the show while I was overseas."

Edgeworth's adam's apple hitched in his throat.

"Wha- I- how did you-?!"

"I told you, I found it in your pocket." Maya chirped. "By the way, thanks for bringing my talisman back. I found that in your pocket, too. Seriously, I don't know what I would've done had it gotten lost permanently, so I really appreciate you coming out all this way to bring it to me."

"Hmph." Edgeworth turned his head to the side since he couldn't fold his arms over his chest, which thankfully one of staff saw fit to equip with a shirt this time. "You would do well to keep better track of your possessions in the future. So, I trust your meeting with the council of elders was a success?"

Maya suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah, about that... the meeting got cancelled."

"Cancelled? Why?" asked Edgeworth.

"Dr. Bolysm told them I couldn't make the meeting because I wanted to stay here and make sure you were okay, so they cancelled it."

"And they would cancel a meeting simply for _that?"_

"Of course. Mrs. Voyant commanded it to be done, so the rest went along with it. End of story, case closed."

"Hmph. This Mrs. Voyant must hold a substantial amount of clout among the elder mediums if her word can dispel a meeting like that." commented Edgeworth.

"That's putting it mildly." said Maya. "She's the oldest master alive and she would've been the head of the Kurain School if she'd been able to produce an heir. Among the old ladies' council, what she says is the equivalent to a judge's ruling. They have to adhere to it even if they don't agree. She's also really nice, if a bit crazy."

Edgeworth figured as much. Anyone who canceled a planned meeting on the behalf of a complete stranger was obviously touched in the head.

"I see. So my coming here was completely pointless, then." His head sank into the pillow behind it like a bowling ball thrown into a beanbag chair. "Lovely."

"Now I wouldn't say that. If you hadn't come here, you would've been exposed to more of the carbon monoxide and that could've left you with brain damage and/or death, both of which I think should be avoided at all costs." Maya waved a finger back and forth like a windshield wiper. "And check it, we've got Steel Samurai to watch and I even brought snacks."

She reached into the bag again and retrieved a smaller paper bag filled with what looked like squishy number '9's.

"What are those?" Edgeworth's nose wrinkled as the smell of pastry dough filled the air.

"Magata-manju." Maya took a bite out of one and held it up. "See, they're shaped like a magatama, except unlike the actual ones, you can eat these. I figured being cuffed to a bed would be really taxing for you, especially if you decided to try and escape and tire yourself out like Nick would, so I had Pearly get them for me when you were asleep. See, we can share. I've got loads."

Edgeworth leveled her with a flat look.

"And how do you propose I go about doing that?" He pointedly glanced at his cuffed lifeless arms.

Maya paused.

"Oh. That's a good point. Oh well, that's okay. I'll just feed them to you."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"You _must_ be joking."

"Nope. Alright, say 'ah'." Maya plucked a fresh nine out of the bag and aimed it at him.

Edgeworth didn't move.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're not saying it." pouted Maya.

"Obviously not." He scoffed. "I refuse to do something so undignified as allowing you to poke those strange foodstuffs anywhere near my person, let alone _in_ my person. Besides, I'm not hungry."

A furious growl echoed throughout the room, successfully rendering his claim null and void.

"Your stomach seems to disagree with you on that." Maya observed with half lidded eyes. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Th- that's not the point." Edgeworth managed underneath a moderate blush; he didn't want to admit he didn't remember the last time he'd eaten. "With that doctor lurking around, I can't afford to ingest anything unless I properly examine every suspicious nook and cranny for sedative injection marks. Unlike Wright, I learn from my mistakes."

"Oh, hush. You're making a big fuss over nothing." Maya waved the pastry at him. "Other than the 'cuffed to a bed' thing. You're totally allowed to make a fuss over that. And they're not drugged, for god's sake. Pearly got these from a public food stand, so I'm pretty sure it's safe. However, if you're intent on being stubborn, watch this and be amazed."

Maya made a flourish in front of the pastry and took a bite.

"Ta dah. See, I'm fine. Not dead or maimed or anything." She chewed and took a bow. "Now, like I said before, say 'ah'."

Edgeworth still didn't move.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're eating these if I have to get a plunger." Maya waved the pastry at him again.

While he fiercely wished to contest the issue, the more he thought about it, the more he came to the unsettling conclusion that, unlike Wright when he bluffed, Maya would probably make good on her claim if called on it. So, swallowing what little pride he had left, Edgeworth spared the floating nine in front of his nose a disparaging glance and took a bite of the pastry.

In spite of himself, it was actually pretty good.

"Wright must _never_ find out about this." He muttered as a slight dusting of pink cropped up on his nose.

"Find out about what?" Maya took another bite out of the same pastry and held up the box set. "Now then, what episode do you want to start with? I vote for the pilot, but you're the guest, so you can pick."

"That's fine." said Edgeworth. "However, there's a problem."

"What's that?"

"I need my glasses to watch anything and I can't very well retrieve them as I am."

"Oh. Well, that's not a problem, I can get those for you." Maya went over and picked up the glasses from off the chair's clothing pile. "Do you need help putting them on?"

One silver eyebrow arched at her.

"Right, right. Stupid question. Sorry." Maya grinned. "Okay, hold still, please. Also, I thought you said you were far-sighted."

"I am to an extent on the grounds that I need reading glasses." Edgeworth held his head still so Maya could place his glasses on his face. "However, I just happen to need them for seeing things that are far off as well, and kindly don't poke me in the eyes with the temple pieces."

"So I can poke you in the eyes with other pieces, then?"

"You know what I meant."

"I know, I'm just teasing you." Maya adjusted them so they rested on his nose properly and fluffed his fringe over the sides so they laid overtop. "So you need reading glasses _and_ regular glasses, huh? Well, that's one up on Nick. As much trouble as he's been having lately with reading, he refuses to admit he needs glasses. He thinks he's being clever buying everything in large print, but I'm not fooled. He's getting up there in his old age and needs to accept things change as a result of turning into an old fogey."

Edgeworth's brow furrowed.

Maya thought Wright was an 'old fogey'? What did that make him _,_ then? He was older than Wright was.

"Okay, and there we go." Maya sat back on her heels and surveyed her craftsmanship. "So, if you actually need glasses for just about everything, when you take them off in court, are you just trying to look cool?"

Edgeworth flushed.

"P-preposterous. Of course not." He looked to the television. "So are we going to watch this, or did you change your mind?"

Box set in hand, Maya quickly made use of the disc player in the room and within a minute, the Steel Samurai loading screen showed up on the dilapidated monitor.

"Yahtzee. Now we're cookin'." Maya clapped her hands together in triumph and climbed onto the hospital bed. "Hey, budge over a little, will ya?"

"M-miss Fey, what are you doing?!" Edgeworth tensed up as Maya crawled her way up the bed and hunkered down next to him.

"Sitting, obviously." Maya pulled another bun out of the bag, clicked the episode on with the remote, and settled in the crooked space inside his left arm with a wiggle. "Can't watch if I can't sit."

"You can sit in a _chair_ , can't you?" Edgeworth shivered as her hair tickled his arm. His skin's sensations were coming back faster than he initially anticipated.

"That's true. However, if I sit here, I'll get a better view of the TV. This way we'll both be able to see. Bun?- Oh, here it comes!"

Despite Edgeworth's complaints about a breach in personal space, the Steel Samurai proved to be a most effective distraction. Two minutes past the opening credits, the pair of them were utterly engrossed in the tragic, yet harrowing tale of the Steel Samurai: Hero of Neo Olde Tokyo's origin story of being orphaned at a young age due to the misdeeds wrought upon the land by the Evil Magistrate.

A classic episode, truly. He'd forgotten how much he liked this one.

Be that as it was, about halfway through the hour long program, Edgeworth noticed something a little strange. Whether she meant to or not, Maya had turned herself sideways and was resting her head right on top of his heart. Frankly, if he didn't know how captivated she was in the story right then, he'd have suspected she was listening to his heartbeat.

Despite her earlier efforts to maintain his 'bubble' as she aptly put it when in his office a day ago, she wasn't proving to be very consistent.

Her presence wasn't invidious, though. Maya was a decent fit for the space between his torso and his arm, so it wasn't incommodious with her being there. In addition, she was relatively warm, which kept the cold at bay, and she was also very... soft.

He hadn't expected that.

She was soft and... she kind of smelled nice-

"Is Pearl not joining us?" Edgeworth abruptly inquired just as the picture faded to what would've been a break for commercials had it been the original airing date.

Maya peered up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay? You look like you got zapped with a live wire."

"I am perfectly fine, thank you." said Edgeworth curtly. "So, your cousin?"

"Pearly said she had to take care of something and couldn't come." Maya yawned and bit into another bun. "I think she was meeting a friend or something. It's probably for the best, though."

"Why's that?" Edgeworth took his own bite of the same pastry when she offered it.

Maya grinned at him.

"Mr. Edgeworth, if Pearly came in here and saw us like this, you'd get the slap of the century. Your face already has red marks from the oxygen mask. Let's not add any more, shall we?"

"Ah. Yes, Pearl did mention something about instigating amorous intent between you and Wright. Would I be correct in thinking Pearl is quite enamored with the idea of you and Wright becoming intimately acquainted? Her earlier prostrations said as much, although I hadn't pegged her as a violent zealot on the subject."

Maya's cheeky grin washed away for a beet red blush.

"W-wow, way to not beat around the bush, Mr. Edgeworth. However, yeah, that's about it. Pearly's the one driving that train. I know she's got her heart set on Nick and me being a thing, but as much as I like Nick, I've known him for years and let me tell you, that is _not_ happening."

"Really now?" inquired Edgeworth. "Might I be so bold as to ask why?"

"It'd be _weird,_ that's why! I mean, that'd be like me getting it on with my older, overly protective, annoying-as-all-get-out brother." Maya shuddered. "Nooo, thank you. I'll pass. I'm not into _that_ kind of stuff and I don't want to learn how to play the banjo."

"I see." said Edgeworth nominally. "I'll be sure to pass that along should the topic arise."

That piece of information would be just the ammunition to derail Larry the next time he became too needling.

They quickly fell into silence as the show ramped back up again, but Edgeworth found himself unable to concentrate. With all the bravado and inanity that surrounded the day's events and the day having long since succumbed to night, Edgeworth still wasn't entirely sure what had possessed her to plead with him to come to the village in the first place.

Hmph. He'd waited long enough. Now was as good a time as any to find out.

"Miss Fey?" Edgeworth broke the quietude once the final scene faded and the credits started to roll.

"Maya." said Maya. "You don't need to be so formal with me all the time, Mr. Edgeworth. That's my name, you might as well use it."

"Very well. Maya."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"What was the real reason you wished for me to come to Kurain Village?" asked Edgeworth as the last remaining credits trailed off the screen.

Maya sat up straight like someone had jammed a rod into her back.

"I- I told you." She replied, though her tone was rather unstable. "I asked you to come to the village because I needed legal advice for my meeting."

"No. That's not the real reason." Edgeworth shook his head. "Pearl told me that you already went up against the council two weeks ago. This was your _second_ meeting. She also told me you weren't acting like yourself and lost your appetite, yet you somehow demolished a whole bag of manju without breaking a sweat, so I have to assume my being here is the prime instigation of your behavioral change."

"P-pearly told you all that?" Despite still smiling at him, Maya's hands were starting to quiver.

"Yes, she did. She is most worried about you." said Edgeworth. "Back to the point at hand, if you had truly been in need of legal advice, did you do what would be expected and contact Wright? No. No, you did not. You chased _me_ down across the entire city in a crazed manhunt and then pleaded with me to travel here, knowing full well just how malleable I am not when it comes to my work. Therefore, I have to assume it was I whom you were after specifically. This was not a matter of legal issues at all. You wanted _me_ here."

Maya's complexion went chalk white.

"Well, I... I just thought you were the right man to ask, that's all." She countered, all the while not looking at him in favor of a spot on the floor. "I mean, if Nick's forte' was matters like that, I would've asked him and I probably would have if you hadn't come back because of my talisman emergency-"

"You mean the emergency that _you_ orchestrated?"

"Wh... what?" Maya blinked.

"I examined the frayed edges on your talisman's cord in the taxi on my way to the train station. Those weren't done by age. You picked the straps apart to make it look like they'd come off on their own and stashed it in my sofa so you could later use it to beg me to take it to you like a glorified errand boy, all because I said I would leave if it was an emergency."

"But it _was_ an emergency!" protested Maya.

"An emergency _you_ created." Edgeworth parried seamlessly. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure out your scheme? I'm a criminal prosecutor. I figure out schemes. It's what I _do._ "

Color was starting to come back into Maya's face, but it all welled up in her cheeks and she sniffed.

"You wanted me to come here no matter what and you didn't give up even after I refused. Don't deny it, for you will only be digging yourself further into a mire of falsehoods." Edgeworth continued, "What I haven't figured out yet is _why_. What could have been so dire that you would do all this work, risk your livelihood by discarding, if not desecrating, the master's talisman and lie to me, just to get me here? What was your endgame in all this? What did you hope to achieve and why lie to me about it?"

Maya sat there on the hospital bed watching him with wide eyes, and, though she didn't say a word, her shoulders began to shake.

"B-because..." Her voice hitched in her throat.

"Because?" repeated Edgeworth. "'Because' what, exactly?"

Tears started streaming down Maya's face.

"Because somebody's gonna get murdered."

Edgeworth's eyebrows shot to the roof.

Alright, out of everything he'd been expecting, he hadn't been expecting _that_ as an answer.

"W-what?! What are you talking about?!" He demanded in rising alarm because a grown woman was crying at him and he was handcuffed to a bed and couldn't run away.

"Somebody's going to get murdered." Maya rubbed at the cascading tears pouring down her cheeks. "Ah, jeez. Sorry, I, um... I got a tipoff a few weeks ago right after the meeting and I didn't know what to do and I'm so sorry, I didn't want to lie to you, I know how much you hate being lied to, but I didn't have a choice, I _had_ to get you to come here and I knew you wouldn't listen if I told you what _actually_ happened and-"

"Maya, Maya, calm down-" Edgeworth tried to move, but the handcuffs on his wrists stopped him. "Gah, curse this infernal things- Look, just stop crying and... and let's talk about this in a calm and rational manner, preferably without getting me wet-"

"I'm... I'm trying." The torrent of teardrops grew turbulent and wild like a raging river. "But.. but they just won't stop... I just... I've been holding it in for so long and..."

And with that, the dam broke.

Edgeworth watched on in horror as Maya, cheerful, perky, happy Maya, drowned in her own tears, the perfect picture of sorrowful misery.

Great.

 _Now what was he supposed to do?!_

"I'm so sorry I lied to you..." Maya sobbed and stuttered through the flood on her face. "Please don't... please don't hate me."

"Gnnrk..!" Edgeworth choked.

If there was a hell, he'd like to see it top this.

"Maya. Maya, listen to me." Edgeworth kept his tone as even as he could manage without sounding overly menacing and/or panic stricken. "I _don't_ hate you."

"You... you don't?" hiccuped Maya. "But... but I lied to you."

"Yes, you did lie to me. However, it seems that your reasons for doing so were pure, if extremely misplaced. So, you needn't fret, I do not hate you. I'm questioning your life choices right now, but I don't hate you. So stop crying. Now. Please."

Maya sniffed at him, but the tears appeared to subside a little.

"Ok. I'll... I'll try." She sniffed again and wiped her hands on her gloves. "I didn't really mean to, it just... kinda did it on its own."

Edgeworth's body went slack against the hospital bed. That was more exhausting than the IV. Still, she wasn't crying as much anymore and he was making some headway in discovering the truth, so small victories meant mountains.

"Miss Fey- Maya, why didn't you just tell me right from the beginning you were tipped off to a murder plot? That's a rather crucial fact to omit."

"...I didn't think you'd believe me." Maya smiled weakly through weepy eyes. "It's a crazy story and I know that you don't buy into 'mystical nonsense' because you're a man of science and think it's a crock, so I tried to come up with something that you'd buy instead so you'd come here. I'm sorry."

"I see. Well, why don't you tell me the whole story and I'll make that decision on my own?"

"You mean... you'll help me?" Maya blinked back some more tears.

"As long as you do not lie to me anymore, yes. It is clear you are in great distress and it wouldn't do to leave a... a friend in such a state. Also, as the Chief Prosecutor, I cannot turn a blind eye to a crime, especially if I can prevent it from happening. Doing so would go against everything I stand for."

"Even... even if I tell you and you think I sound like a crazy person?"

"Maya, you have _always_ sounded like a crazy person to me."

"Eheh, yeah, you're right. I probably do." Maya laughed a smidgeon. "Alright, I'll tell you. However, before I do, I want you to promise you'll listen to the end and not make any snap judgments. No 'objections', or changing up the autopsy report at the last minute, or any of that malarky, okay?"

Edgeworth felt a new white hair spring up somewhere.

"Fine. I promise. Just get on with it."

"... okay. Well, a couple weeks ago when we had the first Synod meeting, Mrs. Voyant, the head of the council, called me into her chambers. She said she had something important to talk to me about. I figured she wanted to talk to me about my Master's channeling test, so I went in no problem."

Edgeworth's brow line deepened. Again with this 'Mrs. Voyant' person.

"What did you two discuss?"

"Well, we started out talking about the weather and my plans for the future and if I... er, if I had intentions of pursuing more training abroad."

"Do you?"

"I'm not sure yet." Maya tilted her head from side to side. "I might, but I want to stay in the country for a while so I can get my priorities straight on other aspects of being the master beyond just channeling. There's a lot to consider and I can't very well do that running around from country to country like a chicken that's about to be turned into a nugget."

"An interesting analogy, but I'm following you. Proceed."

"Right. Now this is the part where it gets a little weird." Maya drew in a deep breath. "Smack in the middle of when we were talking, Mrs, Voyant went rigid and started shaking like a leaf in a typhoon."

"Was she having a seizure?"

"No, she..."

"Yes?"

"She was prophesying."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"Prophesying." He repeated drily.

"See, I _knew_ you wouldn't believe me!"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to! Your eyebrow said it for you."

Edgeworth's brow wrinkled. This was like pulling teeth with a pair of tweezers.

"... Very well. I shall do my utmost to keep my skepticism at bay. Continue."

"Anyway, I was really taken aback by her diving into a divining state like that. I knew she was really skilled with divination, but I'd never seen it in action before."

"'Divining'. Hmph. Is that a common skill among the Fey clan?"

Playing along with this was painful.

"No, it's not. I can't do it, and Pearly's a prodigy and _she_ can't even do it. Only a few women among the clan can pull off predicting the future and nobody's as good as Mrs. Voyant. She's _never_ wrong." explained Maya. "You might not know what she's talking about at the time of the prediction, but it always comes to pass and she's got a perfect track record, kinda like what you had with your win record before Nick came along and trounced it."

Edgeworth internally winced.

She just had to pick the scab off _that_ old wound.

"Seriously, she's a master of an almost impossible skill to even attempt, let alone get right all the time. You can ask anybody, they'll tell you how accurate her readings are and put that eyebrow away, I'm not finished with my story yet. So, there I was, watching the old lady have one heck of an episode, and then she started chanting about 'someone of high esteem and honor being faced with mortal peril' and how they would 'surely perish if the tides stay the course' and that 'only the will of the Kurain would save them from a certain end'. I'm paraphrasing, of course. I was kinda too freaked out to remember it word for word, but that was the gist of it. Do you see why I was so worried by the end of it now?"

"Indubitably." nodded Edgeworth; watching an old lady experience an epileptic fit would give anyone frayed nerves. "If her word is as reputed among the other members of the clan as you say, it stands to reason her foretelling of a horrible tragedy would rattle you."

"It sure did, let me tell you." Maya swallowed hard and ran her fingers through her hair. "I didn't know what to make of it at the time, but the more I thought about what she said, the more I got a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that she was talking about a murder and a nasty one, too. Not there's such a thing as a nice murder, but you know what I mean."

"Why seek me out, then?" asked Edgeworth. "Surely one of the local police could've handled this if you thought there was a problem."

"That wasn't an option." said Maya. "I wanted to go to the police, but Mrs. Voyant told me that would only make things worse if the police became involved. As a result, I had to get creative and that's when I thought of you. You're not the police, but you think like them and work with them all the time and you do much better detective work than they do, so I thought that was a loophole I could exploit without actually bringing the police into the situation. I heard about how you took down a bunch of smugglers that were selling off evidence with just your wits and uncovered several murder plots on your own, so I figured if I was going to stop this, you were my best shot."

"Wh-what in-" Edgeworth radiated scandalized revulsion as what Maya said sank in. "You're telling me that this 'Mrs Voyant' individual told you that someone was going to be horribly slaughtered, didn't give you any definitive proof that this was so, scared you beyond reason, and then told you not to call the police because they would make things worse?!"

"Mmhm." Maya fiddled with her sleeve. "That's about it."

Another choleric pang of heat flared in his sternum.

"Maya, with all due respect to your clan, this woman sounds like a first rate escapee from a loony bin." Edgeworth advised sternly. "You shouldn't listen to a thing she says. She's obviously a nut."

"That's what everybody outside the clan says when they go to get a reading and hear something they don't like." Maya drooped. "Then, usually right afterwards, something she prophesied comes true and everyone else has to deal the fallout. If it weren't so serious, I might just go ahead and ignore it, but Mr. Edgeworth, I can't let this person die. I just... I can't even risk it. I just can't."

"So that's why you lied to me, because you were desperate to get me to come here because you had no other options."

"Heh, I'm kinda pathetic, aren't I?" Maya sniffed; the tears were threatening to make a comeback. "I lied to you to get you here because I needed someone who thought like you do, but in the end, it was _because_ you think the way you do that ended up exposing me as having lied in the first place. The irony, it burns."

From where he sat, Edgeworth observed the teary young woman next to him try to laugh her misery away with a ruminative glint in his grey eyes. While he did indeed think that the basis of fearing such a catastrophe occurring was bunk of the highest order, Maya truly believed there was a threat in her midst and was scared out of her mind. That much was crystal clear.

He certainly didn't think much of this 'Mrs. Voyant' person, though. Who _did_ she think she was, running around terrorizing the populous with pronouncements of doom, death and destruction?!

That was the media's job.

"Is that everything, then?" Edgeworth queried after he let her have a minute to compose herself; he really didn't want the waterworks to return since he was still wet from the last downpour. "That's the entirety of the situation as it stands? You didn't exclude anything?"

"No, I told you everything I know." Maya rubbed at her eyes with her hands again. "I know I don't have any proof, but I can't just leave it to chance and-"

"Then I suppose the first thing to do is to speak with this Mrs. Voyant herself." said Edgeworth succinctly. "If she is the source of this 'prediction', it's only fitting that she be the first person I interrogate."

"You mean you'll look into it?" Maya gazed at him with wide watery eyes. "Really?"

"I don't honestly expect to find anything, but yes, I will investigate. You have my word I will uncover the truth, whatever it may be."

It was probably a whole lot of nothing as far as he could see, but he'd still look into it. At the very least, he'd put a stop to this nonsensical prattle being issued by a lunatic old crone so Maya could rest easily without being terrified of a homicidal incident taking place under her watch.

"Mr. Edgeworth..." Maya sniffed again and then broke out into probably the most radiant smile he'd ever had aimed in his direction. "Thank you so much. I seriously owe you one and I'll do everything I can to help you with your investigation."

Edgeworth sat still as a statue.

If Maya smiled at her clients like that, it was little wonder why they fought all the time over who conducted the seances.

"Think nothing of it." He quickly shifted his attention to the side while a smattering of red bloomed upon his cheeks; he must've been getting feverish. "Did this 'prophecy' specify who the intended victim is?"

"No, it didn't name anyone specifically." said Maya. "I would've remembered. Actually, I can't remember the full thing, but I do know Mrs. Voyant keeps a voice recorder in her room at all times so she can document her prophesies after she snaps out of it. If we go talk to her about it, I don't see why she wouldn't hand over a copy of the manuscript."

"Then we already have a plan of sorts." Edgeworth introspectively crossed his arms over his chest. "Is there anyone else who knows about this foretelling?"

"I don't think so." said Maya. "Other than you, I didn't tell anyone and Pearly only knows that I went into her chambers for a private conversation, so unless she told someone else- hey, wait a minute. Mr. Edgeworth, you're out of your cuffs!"

He spared his arms a slight glance.

"Yes, I slipped out of them a few minutes ago when you were recounting the story of the crazed woman with the fits."

"You 'slipped out'?" Maya repeated in disbelief. "Mr. Edgeworth, those are psyche-padlock cuffs. Nobody just 'slips out' of those. They adjust to the wrist of the wearer and have a randomized rotary lock that Pearly didn't even tell _me_ the answer to when she set them on you and there are thousands of combinations with only one right answer. You shouldn't have been able to get out of them at all."

She scrutinized him through slitted eyelids.

"Are you a wizard?"

Edgeworth snorted.

"Hardly. I just have more experience escaping from handcuffs than you realized." He held up a hand to show her the scarlet drag marks the cuff made on his skin. "As you can see, I can move my arms around now. The tranquilizing agent from that serum wore off somewhat. It's not a full range of motion yet, but I'd say it's a vast improvement to earlier when I couldn't feel anything other than my patience run thin."

"Why didn't you just do that earlier, then?"

"Thanks to that damnable IV concoction, I didn't have full control over my fine motor functions. I also wanted to know what you were hiding." said Edgeworth with a small smirk. "I've found from one experience involving a murder aboard an airplane that people tend to be more forthcoming with information if they view the listener as incapacitated in some way."

Maya's eyebrow arched.

"Doesn't the Steel Samurai use that trick whenever the Evil Magistrate captures him in order to get him to monologue his plan out into the open?"

"It doesn't change the fact that such a tried and true method works."

"Okay, that's a good point. Still, just because you can move a little doesn't mean you can leave. Unless Dr. Bolysm discharges you, you'll just get stuffed back into the Matrix again if you try to escape."

"Yes, I am well aware of that." Edgeworth groused unhappily; being sedated again was something he fervently wished to avoid. "Well, I don't suppose it really matters at this juncture in time. The last train for the city leaves soon, so there's little point in my rushing. Even if I'd refused your request and headed for the train station posthaste, I'd never make it in time."

"Fair enough. Hey, um... do you want to continue the Steel Samurai marathon? We've got five more episodes left before the disc needs changing."

"You still want to watch it?" Edgeworth figured after that tear sodden confession, Maya would want to go regain her wounded pride and compose herself elsewhere.

"Yeah. I think that's just the thing I need to get myself back into a state of not crying at you." Maya inhaled a quivery breath and wiped the last remnants of moisture off her face. "I don't... really want to be alone right now. And, um... is it okay if I still sit here? I can move if you want..."

Edgeworth was silent for a minute.

"Do as you wish." He turned his attention back to the screen as the second episode clicked on.

"Okay." Maya smiled at him with a fragile light in her eye and settled back into the space next to him, but remained far enough away that only the outside of their arms touched.

Unlike the first episode, however, she was significantly more subdued as the second played out. There wasn't any advice shouted at the characters on the screen, nor any tidbits of trivia about the production behind the scenes, nor any whoops of delight when the Steel Samurai vanquished his foe.

Instead, she just curled into a tight ball and didn't say a word.

At first, Edgeworth decided to leave her be, but as the episodes played on and he kept finding himself sneaking discreet glances at her, he was forced to accept her lugubrious countenance was far more distracting than her buoyancy.

'Good grief.' Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose. In his pursuit of discovering the truth behind her insistence on procuring his presence, he likely, yet unintentionally, traumatized her emotional sensibilities. He wasn't overly surprised, though. While she liked to project an air of vitality and resilience to the outside world, Maya was a fairly delicate creature on an emotional level.

It seemed he had no choice but to attempt to rectify the situation if she was to make a prompt recovery.

God help him.

"Maya." Edgeworth lightly tapped her shoulder.

"Mm?" Maya made a noise of acknowledgement, but she didn't look at him.

"The next time you want my help, just say so. There's no need to draw it out further than that."

"Okay." murmured Maya.

"Good. It's best you remember that. I'm not one to thrive in a situation based on speculation and emotional expenditure. All I need to ascertain the situation properly are the facts of the case, so in the future, if you need assistance, just say so."

"Okay."

Edgeworth frowned.

That... hadn't seemed to change much.

If anything, Maya appeared worse. She was breathing heavier than before and her arm leaned on his to an even greater extent.

He felt a twinge of panic; she wasn't going to cry again, was she?

Anything, _anything_ but that.

See, this was why he was a lawyer and not a therapist.

"I, er... I also wanted to-" Edgeworth cleared his throat; this was horrendously awkward. "Earlier when I confronted you about your reasons for cajoling me into coming to the village, I did not realize how much stress you were under. As a result, I might've been… heavy-handed with my approach. So, if I at all put you in a state of... _distress_ , it was not my intent and... Maya?"

Edgeworth craned his neck around to get a look at her face.

His expression fell flat.

Maya wasn't worse.

She was just asleep.

"Well, that's just typical, isn't it?" Irritated that his pseudo apology hadn't even been heard a little bit, Edgeworth folded his arms across his chest and spared her a pointedly annoyed glance, but all that did was cause her limp body to sag further against his arm.

Tch. It was Trucy on the plane ride back from Khura'in all over again.

Although...

Edgeworth reached over and gently tipped Maya's chin upwards towards his own. He hadn't noticed before, but she had dark circles under her eyes, made even more prominent from the streaked water marks on her face, and there was a faint gauntness to the hollows of her cheeks.

It seemed Pearl hadn't been exaggerating about Maya's deteriorating physical state, after all.

"You really must be concerned with this threat if it's taking such a toll on you, Miss Fey." Edgeworth let her chin fall so her head hung lifelessly like a puppet without a master. Well, if she needed the sleep, he wouldn't wake her. If there was anyone in the room who knew about what happened when one pushed themselves too hard without proper rest, it was him.

Careful not to rouse her, Edgeworth meticulously maneuvered his left arm out from underneath Maya's shoulder and plucked the remote out of her slack hand. He wasn't that tired, he could watch a few episodes of the Steel Samurai if he wished without her.

Without the presence of the arm to steady her, however, Maya's slumbering body tipped over and she fell against the side of his chest with a thud.

He looked down at her.

"And we come full circle." He sighed while rolling his eyes. Though she was asleep, she managed to get right back where she'd begun, stuck between the crux of his torso and his arm with her head on his heart.

So, with Maya firmly wedged up against his side, Edgeworth clicked on the episode, sat back against the propped up cushion, lightly rested his left hand on her shoulder so she didn't fall further, and prepared himself for a solo television marathon for the rest of the night.

He didn't last five minutes.

* * *

As the clock above the train station platform struck 11:15 and an owl hooted by, a solitary manju cart sporting a bright red and pink umbrella puffed out a cloud of steam while the proprietor cleaned up the last few remnants of the night's production.

"Hm." The manju salesman pulled out an antiquated pocket watch and flipped up the lid. The time on the watch matched that of the clock. With a slight lilt of his shoulders, the salesman pocketed the watch once more and peered out onto the road.

It was empty.

In all honesty, that was to be expected.

While most regular passengers didn't tend to ride the trains at that time of night, sometimes inebriated souls or those working graveyard shifts would stumble inside in search of passage. So, while it wasn't their biggest rush hour, there was a decent reason for running the trains at night and thus, there was a decent reason for keeping a snack cart open.

However, with the exception of a courier who'd visited him earlier for a bag of treats, no one had come or gone from the station.

Very strange indeed, given the current circumstances.

The salesman spared the road another glance. Eight hours of standing there in the same place was starting to take its toll, though the salesman never would have said as much out loud, professional pride being what it was and-

With a booming roar that would've made a 747 jet that'd just had a goose fly into its' left turbine proud, both the cart and the proprietor were flung off their feet as the train station behind them erupted in a sea of flames.

They landed with a crunch twenty feet away, but unlike the cart that fell flat on its wheel and spun helplessly on its side like an upended turtle, the salesman gripped onto the handlebar of the cart and clung to it, just barely missing being impaled by the sharp tip of the garish umbrella.

Looking upwards from the pavement, the salesman's eyebrows lifted just a little.

The train station, or rather what was left of it, glowed scarlet as smoke billowed out of every orifice like a foreigner that had never been privy to the dangerously piquant nature of the notorious ghost pepper and had eaten a handful on a dare.

"Hm. I see. So that's how it's going to be." The salesman got up and glanced down at a molten piece of metal slag in front of the cart that almost had cleaved it in half. Removing the parasol from the stand, the salesman then bent down and poked it with the tip of the umbrella.

"This doesn't look like a piece of the building." mused the salesman as the sign tipped over, exposing the mottled bluish lettering on the other side. "Well, no matter." From such a far flung, with an emphasis on 'flung', position as the salesman had come to be in, the exact cause of the explosion couldn't be determined by outside inspection alone. Any further information would only be garnered from an inside investigation.

However, this was a job for the authorities, not a simple manju salesman.

The salesman sighed.

"It seems I have no choice but to report this. The fire brigade will wish to know." Saying no more, the salesman uprighted the cart, steered it around the slag and wheeled it down the road away from the burning train station while smoke and ash covered the street in a blanket of white.

* * *

(a/n- Well, didn't that escalate quickly? Hm. I wonder what'll happen next.

Oh heck, what am I saying? I already know that.

So, I wanted to say 'thank you' to all of the people who favorited, alerted and commented on my last chapter. Hearing from you guys always makes my day. :D Also, I thought of something else to say down here other than just a bunch of thanks, though that is my main reason for writing these little notes. Okay, so a few weeks ago, I was walking past a room that had the weather channel on TV and they were covering 'Winter Storm Maya' that had just passed through the landscape and hammered a bunch of different regions with a boatload of snow. However, half the people were angry because they got too much snow and the other half of people were angry because they didn't get any and had to go into work without getting the day off. So, I suggested that what they really needed to do instead was just find a 'happy medium'.

Nobody in the room got the joke.

So, in other news, I found out I'm surrounded by a bunch of uncultured heathens.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!)


	5. A Call to Action

Chapter Five: A Call to Action

 _*Breee Breee*_

Edgeworth peeled one slitted eyeball open and groaned. He wasn't sure what time it was, but as far as he was concerned, it wasn't a time in which he was meant to be awake.

 _*Breee Breee*_

His bleary eye shifted to the table on the right.

His phone was ringing.

Edgeworth closed his eye again and exhaled heavily. Let it go to voicemail, he didn't care.

 _*Breee Breee*_

This was all just a bad dream. In fact, he wasn't even awake.

 _*Breee Breee*_

No, definitely not awake. He was just going to turn over and-

 _*Breee Breee*_

 _Oh, for_ \- Fine.

He'd answer it.

'I swear to all things holy, if this is Larry, I am going to throttle him. I don't _care_ if Wright's in the river.' Edgeworth reached over, picked up the phone, pressed the receive button and stuck it up to his ear.

"... hello? Edgeworth speaking..."

 _"Mr. Edgeworth!"_

Edgeworth's shoulders uncoiled a little.

It wasn't Larry.

It was just Ema.

"Ema... Detective Skye, do you have _any_ idea what time it is?"

"Too stinkin' early..." carped Maya sleepily. The 'breeeing' from his phone had roused her as well.

"Four thirty in the morning, sir!" barked Ema. "However, that's not important, I have pressing news about the carbon monoxide leak in the Prosecutors' Office."

"Very well. Proceed." Edgeworth bit back a yawn.

"After we alerted the fire department, the police orchestrated an evacuation of the building and had everyone sufficiently examined by the paramedics when they arrived on the scene. No stone was left unturned and all the personnel present were tallied, filed and marked."

"Good. Was anyone else exposed to the carbon monoxide?"

"There were a few cases of minor carbon monoxide exposure on part of the janitorial staff, but no one suffered any serious poisoning." reported Ema. "Nobody had to be rushed to the hospital and no one died. All in all, I'd say this was a complete success."

"Excellent." Edgeworth's shoulders loosened further; he knew he could trust Ema to take care of everything. "However, that news could've waited until the morning to tell me. Detective Skye, I expect a higher level of decorum and propriety from you than from most other detectives, so you should have known better than to-"

"Actually, sir, that wasn't the reason I called." Ema interrupted him, which he found strange since she'd never done that before. "We found the source of the leak and I figured you would wish to know directly upon us finding it, especially given who is concerned."

Edgeworth suddenly wasn't sleep addled anymore.

"You found the source?" He sat up, pulling Maya along with him because she'd latched onto his arm and had been cuddling it in her sleep.

"Yes, we did." Ema said soberly. "We traced the leak to a damaged space heater that was leaking CO into the ventilation system."

"A space heater…?"

Sleepy or not, that struck him as odd.

Edgeworth was a strict boss, no one would deny that, but he certainly wasn't Scrooge. He didn't keep a lock on the coal box in regards to the thermostat inside the offices, nor had any of the employees complained that they were freezing. If they had, he would've had the heat turned up.

So what was a space heater doing in the building?

"Detective, examine the space heater thoroughly, for its presence alone is suspicious." Edgeworth told her. "The Prosecutors' Office has central heating. There's no need for such a device."

"More importantly, why was it on?" Maya chirped in. "It's almost summertime."

Edgeworth spared her a withering glance. Hadn't she ever heard of a private phone call before?

Actually, on second thought, it probably would save him a few nerves if he simply put Ema on speaker phone. Maya would just dig at him for details after the call ended, anyway. She might as well hear it straight from the detective's mouth.

"Is that Maya again?" asked Ema.

"Hi, Ema!"

"Yes, that's her." Edgeworth held the phone flat in his hand and pressed the speakerphone button. "I put you on speakerphone."

"Sir, uh… not that I don't trust your judgment, but are you sure that's a kosher idea? This is an open investigation-"

"It's fine. Continue, detective. She has my permission to listen in."

"Oh. Well... okay, sir. If you say so." shrugged Ema. "Hi, Maya! Anyway, we examined the space heater and found that there was more to this than just the space heater being there in the first place. You see, the space heater was-"

 _*Bababa baba babababaaaaa*_

All of a sudden, Maya's phone started to go off like crazy.

"Sir, what's that noise?" asked a highly confused Ema. "It sounds like the theme tune from the 'Steel Samurai'."

"It's my phone. Hang on, I'll get it." Maya clicked the phone on and pressed it up to her ear. "Yello?"

 _"Maya, are you okay?!"_

 _"Yeowch!"_ Maya thrust the phone away from her ear as Phoenix Wright's voluminous tones made everyone within earshot's eyes cross.

"And now _Mr. Wright?!"_ Ema gasped over the phone. "Mr. Edgeworth, I know you're in the hospital right now, but you're not having a party or anything without me, are you?"

"Detective Skye, let me assure you right here and now that I have never been, nor will I ever be, one to host parties of any kind." Edgeworth pressed a finger to his other ear in an attempt to quell the ringing. "Maya, if you would, put Wright on speaker phone as well. Not that he needs it, of course."

"Sure, okay." Maya pressed the button that switched the call to speakerphone and held it between herself and Edgeworth. "Nick? Jeez, what's gotten into you? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Where are you?! Are you okay?!" Wright demanded in a frightful flap through the phone. "Is Pearls okay?! Did anybody else get hurt?! What's going on?!"

"Well, some spiky haired meatball just woke me up from my beauty rest, but other than that, not much. What's up with you?" yawned Maya. "Also I'm at the hospital, not sure why'd you'd wanna know that at a stupid hour in the morning, and last I checked, Pearly's a-okay. Why?"

 _"Why are you at the hospital?!"_ Wright continued, obviously about ready to lose his mind, and halfway there if Edgeworth got a vote. "Are you alright?! Did you get caught up in it?!"

"Oh, I'm fine. It's Mr. Edgeworth you should be worried about. He's the one who passed out in the street. I'm just keeping him company until the hospital staff throws him out. He says hi, by the way."

Edgeworth scoffed.

No, he hadn't.

"You don't need to tell everyone of my temporary invalidity, Maya. They'll get ideas."

 _"Edgeworth_ got caught up in it? Is he... is he okay? And what the heck is he doing in Kurain?" Wright paused for a minute. "... He didn't burn his neck scarf, did he?"

"It's a long story and not one I wish to recount right now, Wright. Moreover, I'll have you know my _cravat_ is fine." Edgeworth interjected tersely. "You'd best have a good reason for calling at this hour, unless you want to join the ranks of Larry when it comes to ignoring the old adage that 'discretion is the better part of valor'."

"Hey, I've got a pretty darn good reason for being worried enough to call and want to make sure everybody's not in pieces." Wright shot back. "It's kinda freaky neither of you are freaking out yourselves, actually."

"Why? What are you talking about, Nick?"

"Wha- you mean neither of you _know?!_ Didn't you hear it?! It's literally right there and everything-"

"It seems there is much we don't know." Edgeworth cut him off; Wright's loudness was giving him a headache. "Wright, I understand that you believe you must panic, but unfortunately for you, Detective Skye called first, so you will just have to wait your turn."

"Ema? What are _you_ doing there? Edgeworth, are you having a party without me or something?"

Edgeworth pinched his nose.

"Hi, Mr. Wright! How are you?" chirped Ema from Edgeworth's phone.

"Uh... okay? I'm doing pretty well, I guess." said Wright from Maya's phone with a verbal shrug. "I was working late and turned on the TV to give myself some background noise and got a huge scare, but other than that-"

"Maya, please prop up them up so they can shout at each other." Edgeworth dropped his phone onto the mattress and held his temple in his hand. "Otherwise, I might just throw both phones out the window."

"At this point, I wouldn't blame you." Maya plucked up his phone and held them parallel to each other. "Okay you guys, everybody's here and accounted for, so how about we get back on topic, yeah? Ema, you said you found the source of the leak?"

"Leak? What leak?"

"A carbon monoxide leak. There was one detected in the Prosecutors' Office and Detective Skye was just reporting her findings on it." said Edgeworth. "You haven't missed much, so hush and you'll find out."

"Is _that_ why you're in the hospital?" Wright most decidedly did not hush.

"Yep. He passed out in the middle of the road and Pearly dragged him in."

"Huh. Girl's got muscle." mused Ema.

"Yeah, I already knew that from all the times she's decked me." said Wright with a grimace. "So you're okay, then? No brain damage?"

"I am, for the most part, fine. I should be discharged in the morning should the resident head dictator decree as much." Edgeworth shifted his attention to the other phone. "In any case, Detective, please continue. You were talking about a space heater."

"Right. I already told Mr. Edgeworth and Maya, but thanks to an extensive search on part of the fire department, we found the source of the carbon monoxide to be a failing space heater stashed in the back of the janitor's closet. It had failed its safety inspections and was leaking CO through a crack in the main mechanism."

"So the leak was caused by a faulty portable heater?" asked Wright through the phone.

"Yeah, but that's only a little bit of the iceberg. You see, we only found the crack in the heater after we peeled off a long ventilation hose that had been duct taped over it."

"I see." Edgeworth folded his arms across his chest. "And where did this hose lead to?"

"Well..." Ema took a long breath and exhaled it. "The hose was being fed into the duct system that runs over top all the high prosecutors' offices. So, when the fire brigade crawled inside the metal duct work to check it out, they found the opposite side of the hose had been stuck to a particular vent with electrician's tape to keep it stationary."

"And… which vent was that?" asked Maya.

Ema made a noncommittal noise that sounded like she didn't want to answer.

"Detective." Edgeworth's tone brooked no argument. "Where was the hose attached? Which vent was it?"

"... it was the vent to your office, sir."

Edgeworth went dead silent.

"Wh-what?!" exclaimed Wright. _"Edgeworth's_ office-"

"That's why only _you_ were exposed to the carbon monoxide. Well, you and the janitors. The carbon monoxide was only present in your office, no one else's." Ema sounded really upset. "So, it seems... from the evidence we have, someone was trying to poison you with carbon monoxide. It's a pretty clever trick, all things considered. Other than a rosy rash on exposed parts of skin caused by blood that didn't move with gravity as it normally does with rigor mortis, there're not usually many other symptoms associated with it, and you were working yourself half to death in a stuffy, overheated room, sir. Dying due to heat and overall exhaustion would've probably been the findings of the coroner if they didn't test the blood for- Mr. Edgeworth? Are you still there?"

Edgeworth didn't answer. He simply sat there, white as a sheet and at a total loss for words.

"Don't those offices have carbon monoxide detectors, though?" asked Maya. "Wouldn't they have gone off at the first sign of the gas?"

"Yeah, if they'd been working, they would've." The sounds of snackoos being munched filled the receiver. "Turns out the carbon monoxide detectors for that entire floor had been messed with past the point of no return. None of them went off like they were supposed to and there were signs the plastic outside casing had been forced open with a shiv of some kind. The fire chief says they'd been tampered with to the point of malfunction."

"And in layman's terms, that means what, exactly?" asked Wright.

"Somebody smashed the insides with a hammer."

"That's pretty tampered, alright." said Maya.

"Have... have you interrogated the janitors about this?" Edgeworth took in a deep breath and steadied himself. "What do they have to say about it?"

"We're questioning the janitorial staff now, but nothing's really showing up proving they had anything to do with it." reported Ema. "I think they're innocent, but this was definitely an inside job. Who else could've gotten in far enough to tamper so much?"

"... I see. Well, that does narrow down the culprit list somewhat." said Edgeworth. "Thank you for calling me, Detective. That was very quick thinking on your part. I will note your impressive actions in your next review."

The munching hitched.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Edgeworth." She coughed; Ema likely swallowed a snackoo whole. "However, please don't thank me until after we catch this crook. I'm not done just yet. This guy's still on the loose and until we catch them, it's all hands on deck."

"Yeah, sounds like that's the right thing to do right now." Wright whistled through a crack in his teeth. "And here I thought the train station exploding was bad-"

"'Train station exploding'?" Edgeworth repeated. "What do you mean, 'train station exploding'? Explain yourself, Wright."

"Nothing to explain, it's exactly what I just said." Wright replied. "That's why I called Maya. The Kurain Village train station, the new one, exploded a couple hours ago. Why else do you think I'd be calling at a stupid hour in the morning? I'm not Larry, for pete's sake."

 _"Blown up?!"_ cried Maya in indignant dismay. "But we just _built_ that thing~!"

"Where was the source of the explosion located?" demanded Edgeworth.

"I dunno. The news didn't say, something about there being more developments later and they didn't have all the details yet." said Wright.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough." said Ema. "I'm already on my way there. It'll take some time because we're going by car, but I'll be there later this morning."

"Hey, if it's not too far out of your way, can you pick me up while you're at it?"

"I suppose I can, but are you really sure you want to come, Mr. Wright? It's a long ride by car and I know your back's not what it used to be-"

"Just be here in ten minutes and I'll be ready to go." Wright's tone was resolute. "Hang on you guys, I'm on my way. Athena, I need you to watch the office for me, I'm stepping out for a few- _Trucy, stop trying to cut her in half, she's not Apollo~"_

Maya's phone clicked off as Wright's call ended.

"Oo-kay, looks I'm playing taxi." Ema swallowed the last of her snackoos. "I'll see you guys later with Mr. Wright, okay?"

"Very well, we will await your arrival." Edgeworth responded austerely, though his thoughts were preoccupied elsewhere.

"Oh, and Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Yes?" He looked at the phone.

"... Be careful. Please?" Ema suddenly sounded very small. "I... we... I don't know what we'd do if-"

"Don't worry, Ema." Maya suddenly spoke in a pertinaciously authoritative manner that didn't seem right coming from her. "As the master of the Fey clan, I won't let anything happen to him. I promise."

"... okay." Ema smiled a little through the phone. "You'd better make good on that, ya hear me?"

"Absolutely." Maya smiled back.

Ema sniffed once and the call ended.

Though the occupancy in the hospital room hadn't changed per se, Maya's smile faded and she sneaked a peek at Edgeworth, who didn't bother returning it.

He was far too busy staring at the wall.

"So... the train station blew up." She made a stab at conversation. "I suppose it's a good thing you didn't head there right after coming out of the tranquilizer, huh?"

Edgeworth didn't reply.

"Mr. Edgeworth... are you okay?" Maya waved her hand in front of his ashen face. "Hello? You're still in there, right? Don't tell me I'm just getting static here."

"I'm fine." Taking another lengthy breath, Edgeworth tore his eyes away from the wall and ran a hand down his face. "I'm just... awake now, that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" offered Maya.

"No." He shook his head. If anything, he just wanted to back to sleep and pretend none of this had ever happened.

Maya didn't seem particularly convinced, but she inclined her head once and smiled warmly as if that alone would dispel the adrenaline coursing throughout his system.

"Alright. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. However, if you change your mind, I'm here, okay?" She put her hand on top of his and squeezed it a little. "You're not alone if you don't want to be."

Edgeworth watched the hand that rested on top of his own with a distantly pensive expression. He understood the sentiment she wished to impart, but whether or not she liked it, he was most definitely alone in this situation and he saw fit to keep it that way.

"There's nothing to talk about." Edgeworth removed his hand from underneath hers and looked out the window. "This is merely another aspect of working as a prosecutor, nothing more."

"O-oh." Maya took her hand back and set it in her lap. "I didn't know that."

"I don't see why you would." Edgeworth glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "For one reason or another, many people have a desire to see a prosecutor dead. For instance, my mentor received at least a hundred death threats a month. If he didn't get any more than that, he considered it proof that he wasn't doing his job thoroughly enough. And, while we might differ on a plethora of issues, if someone is attempting to kill me, that means I am doing something right. 'You can always judge a man by the quality of his enemies'."

"Mr. Edgeworth, don't compare yourself to that nasty old gremlin." Maya's cheek puffed out defiantly. "Unlike you, _he_ probably deserved them."

Edgeworth's eyebrows lifted. Out of all of the derogatory names he'd heard Manfred Von Karma called over the years, ranging from 'slavedriver' and 'vindictive old prune' to 'outright monster' and 'the perfect embodiment of a corrupt society', no one had ever called him a 'gremlin' before.

"I agree he was not... the most savory of people." Edgeworth attempted to be discreet, but just the thought of what Von Karma had orchestrated in the past left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "However, given his natural paranoia, he managed to circumvent attempt after attempt on his life with flawless ease. This incident with the carbon monoxide is nothing but a reminder of the precarious nature of a prosecutorial career. I appear to have become complacent as of late, but no longer. I must become more vigilant-"

"So long as you don't become evil."

Edgeworth's cheek twitched. She wasn't listening to what he was saying.

"Maya, you're not-" He rounded on her, but stopped midway when he caught sight of her staring daggers at him, her face hardened like marble.

"... what?" He asked uncomfortably; he didn't like it when she looked at him like that.

"I'm serious. Don't you even _think_ of being like him." Maya watched him with such intensity, he wasn't half sure it wasn't high noon at the OK corral. "I understand you want to be more careful, heck, I applaud that idea, but if you sink to the same level that Von Karma did just to do it, you'll lose everything that makes living important in the first place and you'll end up just like he was; pure evil. I don't care if he was good at staying alive, or whatever. Turning into him isn't worth it. It's not worth anything."

Edgeworth was taken aback.

She'd never talked to him like that before.

"Anything to do with him is just… it's just _wrong!"_ Maya continued, the color rising in her cheeks. "I thought you figured that out a long time ago, but if you're still entertaining the idea that _anything_ that horrible old dragon said had merit-"

"Why do you feel so strongly about him?" Edgeworth's eyes narrowed. "You're not normally this caustic."

"I..." Now it was Maya's turn to look away. "I just do. I've got my reasons."

"... I see." Edgeworth's eyelids fell halfway; Maya was far too emotional for her own good. "Well, you needn't get so worked up. I'm not planning on becoming him; just employing a few techniques to keep myself alive. That's all. I hope that doesn't offend your sensibilities too much."

Maya recalcitrantly picked at a wrinkle on the blanket.

"... I still don't get how you can mention him without getting furious." She grumbled contrarily.

"I still don't understand why you are more upset than I am at his mention." countered Edgeworth as he moved to stand up. "It seems you and I judge people on entirely different scales."

"Pfft, ain't that the truth." Maya murmured bitterly. "Actually, speaking of scales, Mr. Edgeworth, before you get off that thing, there's something you need to know about the be-"

 _*VREE VREE VREE*_

 _"Nngghhhooohh~!"_ Edgeworth leapt back onto the bed as a horridly vile screech coming from under the bed howled throughout the room. "What in the nine fresh hells is _this?!"_

"I tried warning you." Maya stuck her hands on her hips. "They turned the bed's alarm on when you were asleep. The alarm's synchronized with the scale underneath the bed which is then configured with your body weight. If you move your weight off the scale, it'll trigger the alarm and-"

 _"Get back in that bed where you came from, or so help me~!"_

The hawkish doctor with the yellow eyes slid into the room, skidded to a halt, and thrust one imposing finger straight at Edgeworth's face.

"-call Phil in here." Maya finished, her face pained, and waved at the doctor. "Hi, Phil. Don't worry. I think he got your memo."

"Nnnghh..." Edgeworth held a clawed hand to his heart while the EKG machine he was attached to did the macarena.

"Yeah, I can see that." Phil laxed his stance and looked at Edgeworth with an insolently amused grin. "So, tried leaving, didja? How'd that work out?"

Edgeworth silently seethed at him. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"Welp, looks like somebody got the picture, so I guess I won't have to get another round of '16' just yet." Phil cackled. "By the way, what the hell kind of yell was that? It sounded like somebody ran over a cat's tail with a tractor."

Maya's eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Normally only found in its native habitat of the 'quart haus', the red breasted 'Nnghooh' owl doesn't tend to emit its trademark hoot unless caught off guard by an unforeseen 'contra-diction', taken unawares by a new development it had not known about, or when getting skunked by its natural predator, the blue crested porcupine." She explained, taking on the voice of a nature documentary narrator. "A normally unflappable creature, the 'Nnghooh' owl can also be rendered incapacitated by the dreaded ritual known as 'small talk'. However, when confronted by such convention among the other birds, it employs clever defensive techniques, such as curtly hooting at them so they maintain a wide berth and pressing itself to the wall as a means of camouflage. Then when given the opportunity, it flies away to hide in its nest so it can hopefully get some of its work done without distraction, so long as the other birds don't follow it to see what it's doing and if it wants to go get food."

"Oho, I see." Phil's grin broadened. "I had no idea such a rare creature was gracing the ER today. No wonder I didn't recognize the sound. Well, on behalf of the medical staff..." He took a deeply exaggerated bow.

 _"Hoot, hoot, hoot."_

'Including myself, I hate everyone in this room.' Edgeworth thought heatedly to himself as the other two laughed themselves silly.

* * *

"-And here are some dizziness tablets in case you feel woozy, and here are some pain medications, not anything too strong, but they will take the edge off should you start to feel the effects of landing face first onto the pavement, and I've got some cold compresses should bruising start to manifest on your arm- you took one heck of a spill, dear- and they'll work if those prick marks start to hurt, too. Oh, and I've got something else that I think you might like-"

"There's _more?"_ Edgeworth inquired incredulously as Dr. Bolysm rummaged through the medicine cupboard. She'd already unloaded what looked like half a pharmacy on him- the pile in his arms was almost too much for him to carry as it was- and she wasn't finished?!

"Well, I'd give you some angry eyes, but you're already wearing a pair, so I'll save them for the next patient." The doctor pulled out a strange looking device and placed it on top of the pile. "Now this is something I know you'll want."

"What is it?" Edgeworth spared it a curious glance from overtop the pile.

"A portable carbon monoxide detector." She tapped the side of her nose. "Mystic Maya told me you wanted to be extra careful from now on, so I dug it out of the closet and dusted it off. It's a bit old, but it'll get the job done."

"She mentioned that?" Edgeworth set down the pile of detritus on the bed behind him and picked up the monoxide detector. "That was very thorough of her."

"Mmhm, just before she nipped out so you could get dressed." nodded the doctor. "She really is a sweet creature. We couldn't ask for a better prospective master of the Fey clan. It'll be an honor serving under her."

"So you are a member of the Fey clan as well." Edgeworth examined the detector; from what he could see, it was indeed in working condition. This would prove most useful should anyone make another attempt on his life with CO.

"Yes, not that it makes much difference." nodded Dr. Bolysm. "I didn't really have a whole of lot interest in channeling for a living, so I took to doing other things, like medical school, getting married, then getting married again, and eventually ending up the head doctor for the entire village."

Edgeworth made an equivocal noise as he turned the device over to check the manufacturing date.

Good lord, it was older than he was.

"It's truly funny how life works out." continued the doctor. "You think your life is going to go one way, and then out of left field, a complete enigma of a human being leaps out of nowhere, changes everything, and turns your entire life on its head. It's hilarious when people, young people especially, think they know how their lives are going to be from start to finish, when the only thing in life that any of us know by the end of it is what we don't."

"And, like it or not, not one is exempt from that. Not even you, Mr. Prosecutor."

"Pardon?" Edgeworth looked up from the device; he'd been tuning her out in favor of the monoxide detector.

"Oh, nothing." The doctor smiled. "Just an old woman rambling. Pay it no mind."

"Very well. So, is that it, then?" Edgeworth turned on the device and tucked it into his briefcase. He was itching to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Detective Skye and Wright were probably already at the train station and he wanted to speak with them before heading over to Fey Manor to see this 'Mrs. Voyant'.

"Almost." Dr. Bolysm tilted her head at an angle. "I have a question to ask you first."

"What is it?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. She wasn't going to take another sample of his blood again, was she? His arm already ached from being ravaged by the intern as it was.

"Would I be right in thinking you're the sort of man who thrives on rules, regulations and manuals? The sort of man who needs to study things word for word in order to grasp the whole truth?"

"If you mean, do I prefer practical, methodical approaches that leave little room for doubt and which swiftly arrive at the truth, then yes." said Edgeworth. "Why do you ask?"

"Mmhm, that's what I thought. Then you're going to be needing this."

The doctor reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the rattiest book Edgeworth had ever seen in his life. It was moldy, the cover was threadbare, it held a particularly pungent odor, and the hefty lock with a jade Magatama detailing clamped to the outside was probably all that held the book together if the frayed spine was any indication of the state of the binding.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Christmas?" The doctor wiggled it at him. "Go on, take it. It's yours now. It won't bite you."

"While I do not intend to come across as disrespectful..." Edgeworth took the proffered book and held it gingerly. "What is this moldy old tome and why would I need it?"

"That 'moldy old tome' is an extremely useful tool for anyone out of their depth where the Fey clan is concerned." explained Dr. Bolysm. "So, in short, it's for you. Inside is housed all the information you will ever need to navigate your way around here and beyond in all matters Fey. You're very methodical, so this will serve as a manual of sorts. Just make sure you memorize what you read. It'll prove invaluable to you later on."

Hm. If it was really as important as the doctor said, then perhaps Edgeworth would peruse it when he got the chance. Familiarizing oneself with the rules and customs of any foreign situation never failed to be useful, even if only in cursory affairs.

"Thank you." He inclined his head in gratitude and turned the book over. "The clasp seems to be engaged, so how am I supposed to open it? Is there a key or is there a secret mechanism that unlocks it?"

The doctor smiled.

"You're a smart man. You'll figure it out."

"Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya stuck her head through the opening in the door, her face shining with a pinkish glow. "I see you're back to your neck scarf wearing self again. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost. The doctor's just about done discharging me." Edgeworth turned to the doctor. "You _are_ almost done, aren't you?"

"Yes, I think I've said what I need to." said the doctor with a nod. "Just wait out front, dear."

"Okay. I'll see you up front. Don't take too long, we've got a lot to do today and nary a second to waste." Maya's head disappeared from the hole in the door and footfalls clopped their merry way towards the front waiting room.

"Well, you heard the lady." Dr. Bolysm flicked her wrist at him. "Best not keep her waiting."

"Yes, of course." Edgeworth spared a tired glance at the plethora of odd accoutrements deposited on the bed behind him. He really didn't want to take all this nonsense with him. It was such overkill.

"Oh, what's with that look?" The doctor chided him. "Don't get your cravat in a tizzy. You don't have to take everything if you don't want to. The only things I insist you do take are the book and the detector. Other than that, just go, you silly noodle."

Edgeworth's expression grew unamused.

"If you weren't going to force me to take all this, what was the point of making me go through all that?"

"Mostly because it was fun watching you squirm while Mystic Maya wasn't around to poke you. Now go on. She's waiting for you and it won't do to keep the master waiting."

Edgeworth felt another tension headache coming on, but he didn't mention it. The last thing he wanted was to be in this place a minute longer than he absolutely had to.

"Very well. Well... thank you for everything. Now, if you'll excuse me." He briskly cut himself an exit and strode down the hall towards where Maya swayed from side to side waiting for him.

"Thank you for waiting." He greeted her with a slight bow. "Shall we?"

"Yep, let's be off." Maya fell into step with him. "Also, I brought you something. I know you're normally a tea drinker, but I thought today you might like a boost of energy, so I got you a coffee. I didn't figure you'd want anything in it, so it's plain jane, no nonsense, 'just the facts, ma'am' coffee."

Edgeworth's eyebrows lifted when she handed him the coffee cup.

It was surprisingly light.

"And before you ask, don't worry, it's safe." She added with a wink as he took off the lid and peered inside. "I taste-tested it for you and everything."

"Is that why it's half empty?" Edgeworth regarded her through half-lidded eyes.

"You mean half full?"

"Yes. That."

"Well, I, er, might've gotten a little thirsty on the way here and had a couple little... sips, just to make sure it was safe… and tasty."

Edgeworth sighed. Despite her older years, some things never really changed.

"What? I got a large. It's like two smalls, but cheaper. Also, it's bundled into one cup, so that's saving the environment on top of everything else. See, I'm just thinking of the trees. Think of the trees, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Oh, I'm thinking of the trees, alright. Specifically, climbing up one."

"Hey, I was just thinking of saving the environment and checking out anything you might ingest beforehand to make sure it was safe because _you_ said you wanted to be more vigilant. In fact, I might have to taste it again later, just to make sure it's still safe. Besides, trees need love too. C'mon, give trees a chance-"

The doors swung shut, cutting off their conversation from the rest of the hospital, but Dr. Bolysm didn't bother moving from where she'd stood in the hall while watching them.

"Are they gone?" Phil poked his head out of another patient's room. "I heard the chatter die down, so-"

"Mmhm, they just left." Dr. Bolysm leaned against the door. "She really is a sweet girl, that one. A bit strange, but very sweet. I'm not too sure about the other one, though. He's a harder one to read. He's likely a decent person, but one has to look past all the onion layers to see it. He's also got a big stick shoved right up his-"

"Do you think he suspects anything?" Phil looked uneasily towards the double doors.

"No, I don't think so. Anyway, come along, Phil." The doctor clapped her hands together and beckoned him to follow. "I'm going to need your eyes on this one."

"Where are we going?" asked Phil.

"We've got an intern to find. I want to have a word with her about her needlework."

* * *

(A/N- Hey guys. Just a quick little note. I was having some issues with the document uploader- I don't really know why, but for some odd reason, the document uploader scripted all of indentations and formatting and ended up doubling the word count- and while I'm pretty sure I got the issue fixed, if it doesn't come up the way it should in the fic, please tell me ASAP so I can get it dealt with. I ended up having to put the whole thing into plain text in order to get it to load properly, which in turn ripped out all my italics and detailing so I had to go in and manually reapply them, but I think the issue got taken care of. Anyway, thank you for reading and please review!)


	6. Photographic Memories

Chapter Six: Photographic Memories

"Okay, before we go into investigation mode, there's been something that's been bugging me and I want to get it cleared up before my mind explodes." Maya piped as the pair traipsed through one of the side streets leading away from the hospital.

"What is it?" asked Edgeworth. He'd been fairly quiet since he'd been discharged, but that was mostly because Maya hadn't stopped talking and there hadn't been a chance for him to get a word in edgewise. He didn't mind, though. He was still exhausted, even with the half a coffee Maya brought him, and if she wished to dominate the conversation so he could keep his energy in reserve, that was fine with him.

He was also enjoying listening to her chat away, though he would never have said as much out loud for fear of what that might invite.

"Where did you learn to slip out of those cuffs?" Maya held up her wrists and showed them to him. "I've been thinking about it for ages now and it's been driving me batty."

"Why do you wish to know?" Edgeworth blinked in mild astonishment at the question.

"Curiosity's sake, mostly." said Maya. "You really shouldn't have been able to get loose, Mr. Edgeworth. Those cuffs are virtually ironclad, and yet you slipped out of them like it was nothing. How'd you do it? Where'd you get so slick?"

Edgeworth sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. Well, if she really wanted to know that badly, he'd tell her, he supposed.

It wouldn't hurt anything if he kept things broad.

"When she was much younger, Trucy had a period of time in which she developed a strong fondness for escapism techniques that were employed by Houdini." He explained as they turned the corner that happened to be in the direction of the train station. "However, she quickly found that she was not able to do them as well as she wanted and instead took to practicing on other people in order to figure out the mechanism so she could circumvent the locking system."

"Many times she lost the key. Thus I had to improvise." Edgeworth's eyes drifted upwards in thought. "I already had… extensive training in regards to escaping restraints, though from time to time it failed-"

His memory lingered briefly on when he first met Kay Faraday in an amusement park's haunted house where he'd been knocked out by a park mascot and tied to a girder.

"-but, thanks to Trucy, I had many opportunities to hone my skills. I can slip out of almost any restraint with little difficulty now. So, say what you wish about those cuffs, they didn't deter me whatsoever once I got the feeling back in my arms." His attention shifted back towards Maya, who was eyeing him with rapt interest. "Does that suffice for an answer?"

"So, you're telling me... you let itty bitty Trucy practice her magic show on you and that's why you became so good?" Maya clasped her hands behind her back and beamed at him. "That's adorable. Mr. Edgeworth, I didn't know you were so good with kids."

 _'_ _Gnnrk~!'_

The smile from the previous night had returned.

"I'm not. I was only doing a favor for Wright when he was moonlighting as a pianist." Edgeworth coughed discreetly into his fist; She really needed to learn to control that lest she catch others off guard and stall the conversation. "She was insistent on mastering them, so I let her do as she pleased. The locks simply became more elaborate as she progressed. Though, come to think of it, she never lost the key when she was testing them on Wright."

"I bet she thought it was a game, her picking tougher and tougher cuffs and you slipping out of them." Maya swayed back and forth as she ambled down the road in step with him, though every stride of his equaled two of hers. "Wait, you were _watching_ her for Nick when he'd been ousted from the legal world and looked like a dirty hobo?"

"S-so? It's not as if I did much. All I did was put her in front of an entertainment device and hoped she didn't move. It didn't usually work, but-"

"That is _so_ precious. I want pictures. There has to be at least one. I can't see Nick passing up an opportunity to snap a photo of you being manhandled by Trucy's magic act- wow, that is a _lot_ of yellow tape."

Though he'd been more preoccupied in recounting his story to take note immediately, the pair had arrived at the scene of the scorched train station, a charred remnant of when he'd last seen it, while the local police force swarmed the wreckage like ants on an abandoned picnic.

"Hey, do you see Nick or Ema?" Maya stood on the tips of her sandals and craned her neck as far as she could. "I can't get a good look enough to tell if they're here or not because I'm too short."

"So it would seem." Edgeworth peered out onto the scene, but saw hide nor hair of Wright or Ema. "Hm. No, I don't believe either of them have arrived yet, but that's not surprising. They did say it would take time to come here by car. We probably have not given them enough time to traverse the distance."

"Right, I keep forgetting they have to drive here." murmured Maya. "It doesn't help that Ema had to double back for Nick, too. So, you're the legal expert. What do you think, should we start investigating the scene to see what we can find out?"

"No, we should hold off until Detective Skye and Wright arrive." said Edgeworth. "Moreover, if we don't have the detective give us proper clearance with the police on the scene, we won't be able to get in."

"Do you really need a detective to give you clearance to investigate a potential crime scene if you're the Chief Prosecutor?" asked Maya.

"If this were in the city, no, I would not. However, since Kurain village isn't under my direct jurisdiction, it's best to follow a certain modicum of protocol to ensure that no misstep is taken. So until Detective Skye says otherwise, I am a civilian."

"Well, if this dock is off limits to civilians, let's just move on to the manor, then." Maya puffed out a brisk cloud of air. "Nick'll call us when he gets here. We might as well make the most of our time."

Edgeworth agreed and they soon set out towards Fey Manor, the spacious building right square in the middle of the village. As they went along, they chatted about this and that, nothing of true substance, but Edgeworth found himself more interested in observing Maya than actually devoting much energy to speaking.

A far cry from how she'd been the night prior, all unkempt tears and worries, Edgeworth suspected Maya's talkative cheery nature was, in actuality, her way of maintaining her own version of a stiff upper lip. Maya was indeed an emotional flail boat on most levels, but when under a massive amount of emotional strain, she always did her best to not let others know how much she was suffering, instead opting to keep a smile on her face and the temperature around her warm for the sake of everyone whom relied upon her.

Truthfully, he hadn't expected any less.

As he told Wright all those years ago, Maya was a much wiser person than she appeared. It was precisely during times such as these that she needed to be the strongest she could be, and when faced with adversity, it was best to keep calm and carry on.

So, in a way, he could relate.

Not in the same capacity, of course, but trying to keep on with things despite the threats looming in the horizon was no small feat and, whether she knew it or not, he highly approved of her efforts. The fact she had come unglued in front of him when pressed only showed the vastness of her concern towards an unknown person's wellbeing, not an inability to cope, and also it showed how much she trusted that he would keep her confidence on the matter.

He was actually quite flattered, though he never would have said such a thing aloud.

It was unfortunate all this stress was taking such a physical toll on her, though. Not everyone was built for the realm of stoicism as well as he, and in her, it showed.

"Okay, we're here." Maya pushed open the main gates of Fey manor and beckoned him inside. "It's just down here a ways. Come on."

"What are we going, exactly?" Edgeworth asked as she led him through the front gates, but instead of crossing the bridge that stretched into the main building, she veered off into a side garden surrounded by colorful boughs of flowers.

"My personal quarters are through here." Maya ducked under the flowers and waved at him to follow. "If you're going to get an audience with Mrs. Voyant, I'll need to request a session for you first. If we go without an appointment, she'll refuse outright. You can wait in my chambers until I get back."

Despite his wish to avoid the flowers like the plague, Edgeworth did as she instructed and ducked under the flowers. Luckily, his allergies weren't too aggravated.

The garden's barrier of floral delights quickly parted as they dove further in thankfully, and Edgeworth and Maya soon emerged into a secret enclosure that held with a dainty miniaturized version of the manor perched right at the back of the garden.

"Ah, there it is. Home sweet home." Maya practically glowed at the sight of it. "It's not much, but it's enough for someone like me to do just fine. I get to watch the flowers open up every morning when the sun rises and the birds like to flap on the window and say hello, so it's pretty friendly, even if it _is_ just me."

A tiny swallow swooped down and flew several circles around her head to illustrate her point before perching on a low lying branch.

"Yes, I can see that." Edgeworth observed the bird fluff its feathers.

"Do you like birds?" asked Maya.

"I wouldn't know. I don't have much experience with them."

"Really? What about Taka? He lives in the Prosecutor's building, doesn't he?"

"I take it you met Prosecutor Blackquill and his hawk." Edgeworth tore his attention away from the bird to look at her instead.

"Yep." nodded Maya. "When I was visiting Nick, they stopped by the office to see Athena and check on how she was doing with her defense work. He's charming."

Edgeworth arched an eyebrow.

"The hawk or the prosecutor?"

"Both." Maya strode to the front door of the structure and slid it open while Edgeworth attempted to get his head around the idea that anyone in their right mind would _ever_ find Simon Blackquill charming. "Okay, in, please. Oh, and shoes off here, if you would. Pearly insisted on polishing the floors, no clue why, and I'd like to keep them shiny for as long as possible."

Edgeworth surmised Pearl likely did it because she thought it would be Wright whom was coming at Maya's request, but he saw no point in voicing his deductions. Instead, he did as she asked and, after Maya slid the front door shut, she took him down a narrow hallway that led into her front room.

Her remarkably _clean_ front room.

"See what I mean about them being shiny?" Maya admired the polished wooden floors. "Pearly said she'd have them looking fantastic and boy, did she do a good job. I'll have to think of something excellent to do for her as a thank you."

"Yes, shiny indeed." Edgeworth peered down into the wood and saw his reflection staring back at him.

"Maybe I'll make Pearly something tasty. She really likes pie, so I think I'll make her three, one of each of her three favorite flavors." Maya put her hands on her hips and gestured to one of the cushions on the floor next to the unlit kotatsu table. "You can sit if you want."

"No, I'm fine." Edgeworth set down his briefcase next to the wall and surveyed the interior of Maya's tiny apartment, more astonished than he cared to admit at just how spacious it was.

Where _was_ everything?

It wasn't empty per se, Maya had some traditional floor furniture, a white floor table, some cushions, an arrangement of flowers on the console table and a television, but where was all of the 'Steel Samurai', 'Pink Princess' and- Edgeworth stifled a shudder- Plumed Punisher garb piled up in heaps like he'd expected?

Edgeworth's brow creased. Had Wright lied when he blamed Maya's influence when Edgeworth had called him out on the slatternly state of his office?

"Okay. Just thought I ought to offer. Suit yourself." Maya ducked into the side kitchen area. "I'll be right back with some tea, so hang tight."

Edgeworth found himself far too preoccupied with examining her living quarters to properly answer. Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself. Maya hadn't been the most slovenly person he'd known, that title went to Larry hands down, but he had seen her with many a piece of memorabilia in the past.

Yet no matter which way he looked at it, the stuff just simply wasn't there.

It was far too clean.

Was this Pearl's doing as well?

No, surely not. A simple dusting wouldn't have rendered the entire space so airy and light with only a few anachronistic, yet lovingly cared for, furniture pieces carefully positioned about the room.

He'd come in expecting an avalanche of paraphernalia to cascade down upon him at every juncture.

To his horror, in comparison to this, his office almost looked like _Wright's_.

That thought alone was completely unacceptable.

"Do you really live in here?" Edgeworth looked from side to side, half expecting a camera crew to jump out and let him in on the joke.

"Yep, I do." came Maya's voice from the kitchen. "I'm guessing you're probably wondering how the master can live so far away from the manor when I've got my duties and other responsibilities, right?"

"Something like that." Edgeworth nudged open the closet and peered inside; had she stashed everything in there?

No.

No, she had not.

It was even cleaner than the front room.

No, cleaner wasn't the right word.

It was _tidier._

'This can't be everything. It just _can't_ be.' Edgeworth thought to himself, wracked with disbelief. 'This is Maya we're talking about. _Maya._ Steel Samurai enthused, burger loving, merchandise collecting Maya. Is this a prank? It has to be. Either that, or I'm dealing with a doppelganger.'

"-That's a perk of being the master. I get to pick where I want to live and this is where I picked. Hey, whatcha looking at?" Maya returned from the kitchen with a cup of tea and set it down on the table. "Is something up? You look kinda disappointed."

"No, not exactly." Edgeworth slid the closet shut. "I was just expecting action-show detritus littered about the place, that's all."

Factoring Maya's avid love for the shows, he'd first pictured her abode to possess a veritable mountain range of themed belongings that was traversable only by skis.

"What, _that?"_ Maya laughed goodnaturedly. "Well, you weren't too far off. Once upon a time, there was loads of stuff all over the place, but then I read this book that helped me figure out what I wanted to keep and how to discard the rest, so now packed, cluttered spaces are a thing of the past."

"How so?" He found himself just an iota intrigued.

"See, it's all about mindset. It's not about deciding what to get rid of, but rather deciding what to keep. What things-" Maya put her hand over her heart and made a swoosh outwards with her index finger, "'Spark joy'. So I went through everything that I owned using the steps in the method from the book and only kept my favorite favorites of everything and discarded the rest. I still have some Steel Samurai pieces, but I only kept my ultra favorites that give me a thrill every time I look at them. Everything else was either donated or sold."

"And that works?" Edgeworth asked mildly as he sat down. His back was starting to ache from having been stuck in one position so long and then thrust into movement without permission from the vertebrae.

"Completely. It was absolutely life changing, almost magical even. Heck, I haven't had an ounce of rebound at all and it's been five months." Maya chirped. "Going through the 'papers' stage kinda kills your love of stuff so it's dead, buried and rotting, so trust me, nobody ever wants to go through that again. Hence, no rebound."

"I can imagine." He picked up the teacup and took a sip; it was boiling. "Thank you for this, by the way."

If not properly dealt with, paper trails of any kind were destined to become a nightmare. He was a prosecutor. He would know.

"You're welcome. Back to the tidying thing though, it's been fantastic. I've actually been finding I enjoy what I decided to keep even more now than I did before." Maya pointed to a bright red box perched on top of a shelf with a series of tiny little dolls resting inside. "See how beautiful the 'Steel Samurai Doll's Day' set glimmers in the natural light? I never noticed how sleek the case was before, or how the morning rays of sunlight glint off the samurai spear on the emperor doll, but now I can't not notice it. It's fantastic."

"It is winsome, to be sure." Edgeworth looked up to the shelf she had indicated. "I see you didn't discard the bouquet from Ellen Wyatt's wedding, either."

"Hm? Oh." Maya reached up and plucked the dried white flowered bouquet off the shelf on the wall above the Doll's Day miniature display. "Yeah... that. I haven't quite worked up to that yet, but it's going, make no mistake."

"Oh?" His intellectual interest piqued as he watched her look at the bouquet with a complicated expression.

"Yep. To tell the truth, I'm thinking about seeing if Pearly would like it. If she does, great. If not, I'll donate it to somebody else- Oh, hey, do you think Ema would like it instead?" She suddenly wheeled around on him. "That's an even better idea than giving it to Pearly, since she was actually at the wedding and all."

"If I might be so impertinent, why do you plan on getting rid of it?" Edgeworth gestured to the bouquet. "You worked so hard to wrestle it away from Larry at the wedding, one would think you would wish to keep it."

Watching Larry getting chased down and tackled by three angry women was probably one of Edgeworth's most cherished memories of all time, if they were indeed talking of something 'sparking joy'.

"You mean when I elbow-dropped him in the face?" Maya tilted her head to the side as she rotated the bouquet in her hands. "Yeah, that was a fun day, but the more I look at it now, the more I realize it's a waste for someone like me to keep it. It would be better if Ema or Athena had it."

"Why do you think it's a waste?" asked Edgeworth. "Isn't it a common custom among women that whomever catches the bouquet at a wedding is to be married next?"

As far as he was aware, such articles of status were more effective than some forms of currency among a portion of the female population.

"Maybe for other women, but not me." Maya pressed her fingers over the dried petals. "Marriage doesn't tend to work out for Feys for many different reasons and even if it did, I... I don't think it's doable."

"Because you're the master?"

"No. That doesn't help me any, but that's not what's outrightly preventing it." She rubbed one of the petals in between her thumb and forefinger. "Sometimes... we have to face the truth no matter how painful it might be, and this instance is no exception."

Sighing, Maya smiled at him with a saddened wisdom that only comes from age and experience.

"I'm not an idiot, Mr. Edgeworth. I might want the world to be a certain way, but I'm not fool enough to think that it is. Just because I might want something doesn't mean it's going to happen. Keeping the bouquet means I'd just be holding onto hopes that are fruitless and irremediable, so there's no point in my keeping it. So, out it goes."

"I see." Edgeworth considered her ruminatively over the edge of his teacup; Wright might not have been able to see it, but Maya had indeed blossomed into a mature adult. "Well, despite what the judge may say about it, there's nothing shameful or outlandish in staying unattached. I myself made the decision long ago to remain unmarried and it hasn't hurt me whatsoever."

"... yeah. You're right." Maya let out another little sigh and put the bouquet back on the shelf. "Well, that settles it, I guess. I'll get rid of it today. If Ema wants it, she can have it, and if not, it'll be food for the trash can."

"So, what did you do with your unwanted Steel Samurai things?" Edgeworth discreetly inquired. "I am asking out of curiosity's sake, of course. Nothing more."

"Oh, I just bet." Maya chuckled. "Sorry to break it to you, but the internet vultures already picked that carcass clean. It turns out that stuff was all extremely valuable and diehard collectors were willing to pay a pretty penny for it, so I sold it all. It took a while, but that's okay. It was worth it in the end. I needed the money."

"Why?" asked Edgeworth.

"To build a new train station." Maya smiled ruefully. "Anyway, make yourself at home. I'll go have a chat with Mrs. Voyant and see what she says. Back in a minute."

With that, she briskly padded her way out and slid the door shut with a snap, leaving Edgeworth with only his thoughts for company.

Edgeworth rested his chin in the palm of his head and sipped some more tea. He hadn't realized the village was in such dire monetary straits that it would require Maya to part with her precious collection, even if she had been on a tidying crusade. From what he heard, business in the channeling world was, as they say, booming.

However, to build a new train station with the proceeds...

"Just how valuable _is_ that merchandise?" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and did a quick internet search.

His jaw dropped.

"They'll pay _how much_ for my statue?!" Edgeworth exclaimed as the listing price came up on the auction appraisal website, absolutely scandalized. Even for someone with his pecuniary means, that was a lot of zeroes.

"Hmph. Well, they can wish for it. I'm far too fond of it to part with it, no matter how exorbitant the amount they are willing to pay may be." He clicked off the browser and let his gaze drift back up to the Steel Samurai Doll's Day set, which eventually led his eyes further upwards to rest upon the bouquet once more.

Getting up from his seat, Edgeworth passed by the antique record player- he idly wondered what sort of music Maya liked to listen to- and removed the lace arrangement from the shelf.

"Just as I suspected. It's just a silly bundle of flowers." He examined the flowers in his hands with a mild grimace. "I don't see what's so special about these that would cause the need to make such a fuss in the first place-"

A stabbing pain erupted from the center of his chest and he almost dropped the bouquet.

'Ah… urgh. That is... not pleasant... whatsoever.' Edgeworth winced in pain and set the bouquet back down. The pain radiated from the center of his sternum and spread outwards, though he wasn't entirely sure of the cause. Was this a residual effect of the carbon monoxide poisoning?

Probably.

Nevertheless, it wasn't life threatening, he told himself as he sat back down at the table with his hand firmly pressed against his chest. If he had been in any danger, the doctor would never have let him leave. As much as he detested doctors, especially that one, he was forced to admit she was sharp as a tack and didn't miss much.

'Besides, the CO detector hasn't gone off.' He turned his attention to his silent briefcase and tightened his grip on his chest. 'So that means there is no chance of additional exposure to- hm? What's this?'

There was a hardened lump in his breast pocket.

Figuring he hadn't developed an impromptu tumor in the past thirty seconds, regardless of what the internet would say if he did another search, Edgeworth reached into the pocket of his coat and found to his utter surprise that the master's talisman was still there.

'What's this still doing in here?' He pulled out the bright red talisman which jingled a happy 'hello' at him. 'I thought Maya said she'd already taken it.'

Apparently not.

'That's strange.' Edgeworth thought as he inspected the box. 'I could've sworn she took it. She thanked me as much for bringing it to her, so one would think she would actually take back the-'

His thumb flicked the magatama detail sharply to the right and the talisman fell in two pieces in his lap.

Edgeworth stared down at it.

Hopefully, he hadn't just broken a priceless heirloom of the Fey Clan. He'd yet to read the book the doctor'd given him and hadn't learned what to do when faced with a mob of angry women, other than run.

Upon a closer inspection, however, he realized to his relief that the talisman was designed to come apart and reveal a secret compartment within when the magatama was turned to the right.

A secret compartment, he noted, that appeared to already have something tucked inside.

Edgeworth didn't consider himself a prying sort, but before he knew what he was doing, he removed the folded up bits of paper and smoothed them out on the table.

They were photos.

The first one was by far the oldest, a dog-eared, ripped and smudged ancient old photograph of two little girls, one crying and the other panicking, assembling probably the most moth-eaten, tattered, sorry excuse for an urn he had ever seen in his life.

He flipped it over and noticed some writing on the back in a smooth, yet gentle hand.

 _'_ _Maya and Mia, my most precious treasures.'_

'This must be Maya and her older sister.' He turned the photograph back so he could see the little girls again and a small, amused smile flickered across his face. They looked so young and innocent, a far cry from how he had come to know either of them, and he wondered for a brief moment who was at fault for the state of the urn.

Probably Maya.

As for the elder sister, he hadn't crossed swords with Mia Fey very often, and they rarely spoke, but she had been a fully capable defense attorney and quite the worthy opponent. By the same token, he supposed he also owed her a sizable debt of gratitude. If she had not gotten Wright a 'not guilty' verdict and then taken him under her wing as a defense lawyer, Edgeworth wouldn't have been long for this world himself when his own trial came to pass.

With that thought in mind, he set down the first photograph and picked up the second just underneath it.

His breath stalled.

'I know this. This is from right after I was pronounced 'not guilty' for Robert Hammond's murder.' Edgeworth's eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he scrutinized the photo. If he remembered correctly, this had been taken just after Maya had chastised him for his inability to express indebtedness, though not in a cruel way, and insisted he come with them to celebrate the success, even if that meant having a second celebration because he still needed to be discharged from the detention center and wouldn't be out until morning.

Edgeworth shook his head, though still wearing the modest smile from earlier, and turned the photograph over.

There was some writing on the back of this one too, though the hand wasn't nearly as legible as the first's.

 _'_ _Everyone celebrating after the DL-6 case was finally cleared up and Mr. Edgeworth was pronounced 'not guilty'. A fantastic day to be sure, even if I was still sore from the electric light orchestra from the day before. Nick doesn't look too happy I pulled that sign out right in front of his face, but everyone else was in a great mood. Mr. Edgeworth was even actually smiling a little bit. A rare sight!'_

'A rare sight?' Edgeworth wanted to protest, but further thinking led him to the conclusion she was unfortunately right on that venue. Back then, he never smiled. He barely smiled _now_ , but eleven years ago, he was so weighed down by what he thought was his albatross to bear for the rest of his life, the unwitting murder of his father, that he rarely felt the urge to do so, let alone act on it. However, thanks to Wright's and Maya's efforts in clearing his name, he could safely say he held his head higher than he did before and ever since, he had been known to smile from time to time.

Why she noted that he smiled ever so slightly in the photo was beyond him, though.

And what did she mean by 'electric light orchestra'?

A smidgeon confused, but with no means of enlightening himself at present, Edgeworth flipped to the next photo.

In this one, Maya, this time at her current age, was hugging a boy no older than nine around the shoulders. The boy didn't seem to be doing anything much, other than trying to smile and not pass out from the blush splattered all over his face, but he looked happy enough that Maya had come from behind and captured him in a fearsome bear hug of affection.

Edgeworth snorted at the photo with a little disfavor. Though he couldn't remember his name, he knew that boy all too well.

That was the boy whose dog attacked his cravat and almost strangled him when he tried pulling the dog off.

 _'_ _Ahlbi and me training up in the mountains. Talk about a pumpkin. He didn't have to go everywhere with me, but he insisted on accompanying me everywhere, so I never got lonely. I, of course, didn't mind. I always love company when I'm standing under a freezing waterfall and can't feel my anything. It's the only way I can tell I'm still alive. I hope he'll come visit me soon at home. Then I'll be_ his _guide. Mwah hah. I hope he likes burgers. I'll give him the tour of the century!'_

"Maya, don't you dare." Edgeworth sighed tiredly and set down the picture. Given the limited food options in Khura'in, the sudden explosion of choices in palette sensations could very well send the boy into a culture shock induced coma.

The next photo held a picture of Pearl and Maya outside the house he was sitting in, Pearl's arms bedecked with flowers and her tongue between her teeth as she arranged Maya's hair with as many blooms as the thickness would allow.

 _'_ _Pearly and me messing around. Pearly's the best cousin a girl could have. She's always great to talk to and the best support I could ask for when it comes to my master's disciplines. Nobody keeps me on task better than Pearly. But seriously, she's gotta stop trying to set me and Nick up. How many times do I have to tell her that's_ not _going to happen? Meh, probably infinity and two.'_

"It will take at least that many." Edgeworth agreed, put the picture down and set down the stack so he could check his pocket watch.

Maya had been gone twenty minutes, a lengthy time to be sure, but not long enough to become concerned about her whereabouts.

He still had time.

Picking up the stack again, Edgeworth idly flipped through the pictures to see where he'd left off. There was only one left that he hadn't examined, but what it was, he wasn't entirely certain. The others covered their bases well enough for friends and family, one of them even had Gumshoe in it.

"If I have to venture a guess, I imagine it will be a group picture of the faculty of the Wright and co. anything/law offices or perhaps some other friends from her time in Khu-" Edgeworth flipped to the final picture and froze.

It wasn't a photo of the Wright law office employees, nor was it of some unnamed friends in Khura'in.

The last picture was of _him._

In the photo, he, Miles Edgeworth, was standing right near the picturesque window of his former office, the one he was thinking about moving back into thanks to the CO debacle, looking nothing short of mournful. He was holding his arms behind his back and staring upwards out into the far flung stretches of the city's skyline, while puffs of white fluttered by the window and kissed the glass before they melted into oblivion.

The snow bitten light of the evening reflected off the pale features of his younger self's face, making him appear as though he'd been carved from white marble, and the wistful melancholic expression he bore was haunting. It was almost like he himself had departed from the realm of the living, but still held unfinished business that prevented him from eternal rest.

"What... is this?" Edgeworth readjusted his glasses, as if it were they that were manipulating his vision, and stared at the photograph. That was indeed a younger version of himself, no mistake about that, but when had Maya taken this picture? He didn't remember posing for this.

He didn't pose for anything.

Well... judging by the cut of the coat, he was in his mid twenties and it was snowing, so it had to be Christmas time or thereabouts.

However, he didn't remember any time he stared out the window contemplatively when it snowed at midnight.

And yet, here was proof he did.

Hm. Perhaps the back of the photo garnered further information about this.

He flipped it over.

It did.

 _'_ _Mr. Edgeworth looking pensively out the window. I took this photo right after Iris' trial was concluded. Nick had gone to hang out in the detention center- he's_ so _not over Iris- and I went to Mr. Edgeworth's office instead to thank him for all of his help. However, when I got there, I saw him standing by the window, looking all sad and crestfallen, and I just had to snap a photo. I don't think he knows I have this and I don't think I'll tell him I do, either. He might get embarrassed or something. Dunno why when he looks so handsome in it, but that's Mr. Edgeworth for you.'_

 _'_ _Still, it's such a good photo of him, I think I'll keep it, anyway.'_

"... she thought I looked handsome?" Edgeworth turned the photo back over and gave it another once-over.

Well, she was right about one thing. He was _indeed_ embarrassed. What did she think she was doing, carrying around a picture of him looking like some sort of poster boy for an anti-depressant commercial?!

However... he did wonder what he'd been thinking about when she'd taken that picture.

"Mystic Maya? Are you in?"

Edgeworth glanced up from the photograph.

Someone had come into the garden, but Edgeworth didn't recognize their voice.

"I hate to bother you and I wouldn't have if I hadn't seen you come through here, but-" The voice kept on as it came closer to the house. "I... I heard what happened over at the train station, and I just want to say how sorry I am and you have my full condolences about the loss of- _Oh!"_

The voice gasped, though what over Edgeworth had no idea.

"Huh. That's funny. She doesn't usually lock the door." murmured the voice. "Well... she must not be in. I could've sworn I saw her come through this way, but… I guess I'll... I'll come back later, then."

The sound of footfalls clopping across the cobble stones died away as the person, whoever they were, left.

"Hmph." Edgeworth's gaze narrowed at the door for a few seconds, but he eventually dismissed the incident and honed back on the photos.

At first, he found it distinctly odd that Maya would carry around such photos, but people did have a tendency to be fond of possessing familiar faces whenever they grew homesick as a way of alleviating it. So, the photo of him being in there was not all that strange. Maya herself said she just liked the way it came out, so there was nothing more to discuss about it. She just collected photos of people she knew and liked and this photo of him was no exception.

She would probably grow irritated if she knew he'd examined them without her express permission, however.

"I'll just put them back." Edgeworth stacked the photos on top of each other and gently stashed them back inside the talisman before sealing it shut. He wasn't too sure how Maya would react to a breach of privacy, whether or not it was accidental, but if she was anything like Franziska, he didn't wish to face that sort of whip wielding explosion.

He didn't think she was, but he wasn't risking it.

Placing the talisman back into his breast pocket, Edgeworth rested his chin in the palm of his hand and drummed his fingers on the tabletop as he waited for her to return.

Ten minutes soon passed, and when Maya didn't come back, Edgeworth finally admitted to himself that he was bored. With nothing to do, he spared his briefcase a minor glance, grabbed it and pulled out the CO detector.

"I suppose I might as well test this out." Edgeworth picked up the detection wand attached to the stopwatch-like device, pressed the manual detection button and waved it around the room.

The detector made a quick beep and said that there was no CO detected.

"Hm. So far, so good." Edgeworth put the detector into his pocket and looked in his briefcase again for something else to distract him while he waited.

"There must be something in here I can- aha." Edgeworth caught sight of the old issue of 'Oh!Cult!' magazine that train attendant had thrust upon him the day before.

He still hadn't bothered to read it yet.

Well, if he was going to examine it, now was as good a time as any.

Sitting with his back leaning against the table, Edgeworth peeled open the magazine and flipped to the article featuring Maya. There wasn't much he didn't already know, having had a hand in personally getting her out of Khura'in in one piece, but the flavorful text in the article describing Maya left him a little lost for words.

 _'_ _-having just announced her return to Kurain Village this year, the new master of the Kurain Channeling Technique will surely turn the tide and send the prosperity of the Fey clan soaring to new heights. The only question now is who will tame this rare, voluptuous creature long enough to claim her for themselves? As we all know, anyone who manages to secure a lasting romantic entanglement with the master of the Kurain Channeling Technique is destined for an elevated status (among other things) unparalleled to any other in personal and career-related success. So, if your ambitions are high and so are your standards, this might be the opportunity you're looking for. I just hope you're cut out for wrangling such a cheeky, busty beauty!'_

Edgeworth flipped to the next page and blanched.

Pasted across the article were an arrangement of candid photos that featured Maya in a myriad of shots. It started out fairly innocuous with a photo of her walking down the street and another of her picking flowers outside her house with Pearl, but both those quickly laid forgotten when the picture of Maya asleep in the winding way with her robes loose and the one of her clad in just a towel having emerged from the bath came to the forefront, and they were just the starting line up.

The furrows in his forehead deepened dangerously.

Someone had been following her.

As bad as that already was, the worse part was that all the photos featured in the article had been taken without her knowledge. Not a single shot held her focus and the majority of them looked to have been taken by a long range lens, probably so whomever it was who took them could stay hidden.

At least, he suspected that was the case.

Edgeworth really doubted Maya would have agreed to having her picture taken while changing robes, frolicking around in a towel, or hanging her lingerie out to dry.

 _'_ _This humble reporter wasn't sure if the prospective master would match up to the good looks and charms of her sister, Mystic Mia Fey, but one look at her from the photos from our intrepid researcher in the field, and all that concern went flying out the window. From her alabaster skin to her glossy dark hair to the way her chest bounces when she laughs, this young lady is not someone you see every day, nor is she someone who anyone worth his purifying salt would pass up.'_

 _'_ _So you suitors better start queuing now, because you don't get there soon, you'll miss out on the chance of an after-lifetime-'_

"'Intrepid researcher'. How laughable." Edgeworth glared at the magazine. "They are confusing their terms. I believe the term they're looking for is 'veteran stalker pervert'."

This was outrageous. First someone had invaded Maya's personal space to take these photos and then someone else wrote a piece on it, but an editor actually _allowed_ this peeping tom erotica to be published. Not only was this an egregious breach of privacy rights and a perfect case of stalking if he'd ever seen one, for god's sake, _children_ could easily get their hands on this publication if they wanted to. It wasn't even sealed up in cellophane like any self respecting piece of-

"Hi, Mr. Edgeworth, sorry that took so long. What are you reading?"

"Nothing." Edgeworth hid the magazine behind his back as Maya curiously peeked around the corner.

"Er... okay, then. So, I've got some good news and some not so good news." Maya came into the front room and clapped her hands in front of her chest. "Which one do you want to start with?"

"It doesn't matter. One usually begets another." Edgeworth brushed some of his silver bangs out of his face hoping that would hide the lingering pinkness.

"Alrighty, the good news first. So, I went and talked with Mrs. Voyant and she would be happy to give you a reading."

"Reading?" Edgeworth wrinkled his nose. "I don't need a reading, nor do I want one. I only want to interview her about the previous 'prophecy' she gave, nothing more."

"Yeah, that leads us into the not so good news." Maya puffed out her cheek in thought. "She won't hand over the prophecy's manuscript."

"What?! Why not?" demanded Edgeworth.

"She's invoking medium- client privilege." explained Maya. "She said, and I quote, 'Being a lawyer as he is, he will understand, that divulging matters such as these should and ought be banned.'

Edgeworth's nose wrinkled again.

Hmph. That rhymed.

"So she's being obstinate, is she? Very well. If she doesn't want to give me the information voluntarily, I shall simply have to pry it out of her." Edgeworth got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Let's go. I shall put up with this farce if it means I can converse with her."

"That's the spirit!" Maya cheered.

"And, before I forget," Edgeworth reached into his coat and pulled out the talisman. "I believe this belongs to you. While you said you found it in my coat, you never took it back. How come?"

"I didn't want to take anything out of your coat pocket without permission." said Maya. "That would've been going through a lady's purse; some things you just don't do. See, I _have_ grown up a bit, regardless of what Nick says."

He twitched a little.

Great, she just had to bring that up after he'd inadvertently snooped through her things.

"Maya, it's _your_ talisman." Edgeworth's eyebrow arched.

"It's _your_ coat." Maya countered. "Hey, I've got an idea. How about a trade?"

"A trade? Explain. I'm not giving up my coat."

"No, not that, silly. I mean a trade for the talisman."

"Why? It's already yours."

"Because. So, you'll trade me my talisman back and I'll trade you..."

Maya dove a hand into her robes and retrieved a lustrous light blue 'nine' hanging by a length of brown leather cord.

"This gorgeous magatama." She gestured to it like she was showing off a product on a shopping network. "Pretty, isn't it? Just don't try to eat it, this one's made of gemstone."

Beaming, Maya took the talisman proffered to her and placed the glassy gem in the palm of his hand.

"So, what do you think? Do you like it?" She waited on tenterhooks while he stared down at the pendant in his hands.

"Er... yes. It's, um... it's very blue. Thank you." Edgeworth pushed his glasses up his nose and took a closer look at the pendant. "What precisely is it made of?" The semitransparent sheen of the stone shone a brilliant blue when held up to the sunlight, but it was much too thick to be glass.

"Aquamarine." said Maya.

" _Pure_ aquamarine?" He gaped at the nine in disbelief and then sternly frowned at her. "That's quite expensive to just give away, especially when there was no need to bargain in the first place."

Especially if she was forced to sell her Steel Samurai collection in order to pay for the town's infrastructure.

"It's a worthy trade." Maya smiled abstrusely. "Hey, why not put it on and let me see how it looks? I picked out the color especially for you. It'll bring out the color in your eyes."

Edgeworth internally snorted. His eyes were grey. He didn't _have_ any color in his eyes.

However, he didn't say that aloud. Instead, he opted to examine the egg sized magatama in the palm of his hand. He wasn't partial to jewelry, it just got in the way, but if she was truly insistent on giving him such a precious stone, he'd humor her for the time being.

"Oh... fine." He slipped the pendant's cord over his neck so the magatama hung on top of his cravat. "How... how do I look?"

"With your eyes, mostly."

Edgeworth glowered at her.

"Hee hee, sorry. I couldn't help it." Maya giggled into her gloves. "It's looks great on you, so you can put the ice-king glare away. You're gonna give yourself frowny lines, well, more than you already have."

His glare thawed just a tad at her giggling- she really was an unusual person- and he gently picked up the magatama, holding it up at eye level.

"With this, will I be able to see the psycho-locks again?" He peered through the cerulean crystallization. "While I might not have believed in their potency at first, I won't say they weren't useful."

"You know about the psyche-locks?" Now it was Maya's turn to be bewildered. "How'd you find out about that?"

"Wright told me." Edgeworth let the pendant drop against his cravat. He didn't see the need to dive into intimate details of almost strangling Larry after breaking all of his locks only to have several more crop up.

It'd been like attempting to behead a vexing hydra that whined.

"Crikey, Nick can't keep a secret to save his soul- er, yeah, it should." Maya puffed out an exasperated cheek. "Why, do you want it to?"

"Since I'm about to go against an old woman filled with secrets, it won't hurt."

"Alright then, sure, I'll give it a charge. Hang on a tic and don't move."

Maya reached forwards and clasped the magatama between her hands, bent her head low and began muttering some sort of incantation under her breath. During the charging, Edgeworth stayed as still as he could manage so she wouldn't lose focus, all the while trying to ignore her forehead pressed firmly to his cravat or her breath on his chest.

"Okay, it's charged up to the brim, so it should show psyche- locks if anybody's got a secret lying around." Maya let go of the charm, which was now glowing blue, nodded for good measure at her own handiwork, and headed for the door. Edgeworth followed her, deciding to leave the briefcase in her abode for safekeeping, along with that torrid magazine which he planned to torch later when he got the chance.

"By the way," Maya slipped on her sandals. "I didn't know you wore boots. Is that a new fashion choice?"

She pointed to the pair of polished black leather riding boots left by the door with her index finger.

"No, not really. I've worn them for years." Edgeworth said as he reclaimed them and put them on. "You never noticed the lack of laces before now?" While he might not have worn his trousers tucked into his boots like Blackquill, his riding boots had been a mainstay of his wardrobe for as long as he cared to remember.

"I always figured you just wore slip-ons like Nick does. I only just recently found out he wore those because his back is bad." Maya scratched at her cheek. "Now I kinda feel bad about teasing him for not knowing how to tie his shoes."

"There are worse reasons to wear them." conceded Edgeworth. "However, yes, I wear high shafted leather boots."

"Even in summertime?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Years ago, I sustained injurious damage to my ankles which greatly weakened their overall strength. The boots stabilize them and compensate for the weakness. So, regardless of the temperature, I have little choice but to wear them."

"Ooh, ouch." Maya winced. "That sounds horrible."

"It wasn't pleasant." said Edgeworth. "Anyway, shall we press on? I'd like to get this meeting with Mrs. Voyant over with."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan to me." Maya slid open the door, but she stopped before actually stepping beyond the threshold. "However, before we do, I... I need you to promise to do something."

"That depends on what it is." Edgeworth crossed his arms across his chest. "I don't make promises without considering the implications."

"I know. Still, I need you to promise to do something, or rather, _not_ to do something." Maya looked over her shoulder at him. "Don't take that pendant off."

"Why?" Edgeworth eyed the pendant around his neck suspiciously.

"It's really important. I'd tell you the details, but you're already having a hard enough time swallowing what I've already told you, so I'll keep those to myself for now." Maya smiled weakly. "Just promise me you won't take it off for any reason. Please?"

Although his initial instinct commanded that he press her for more solid answers than that, he could tell she was only trying to spare him a headache, so in a show of concession, he pulled back his collar and dropped the pendant inside, hiding it from view.

"Very well. I promise." Edgeworth smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt and rearranged his cravat to hide the indentation the magatama made underneath the fabric. "I assume keeping it inside my shirt counts? Or do I need to keep it on display so others might know that I am indeed humoring you?"

"So long as you're wearing it, where doesn't matter to me." Maya's smile emboldened.

"Are you going to tell me why?"

"Maybe when you're feeling more up to snuff and not about to battle an old lady." Maya pumped an arm into the air. "Alrighty, once more unto the britches!"

"You mean 'breach'."

"'Beach'? That's a great idea! It's been ages since I've gone! We should take everybody and make a day of it! I want to bury Nick in the sand and then leave him there for the fishes!"

"That's not what I... oh, never mind."

* * *

(A/N- Hello, everybody! I don't have a lot to say this time around, but, as always, thank you to everyone who favorited, alerted and commented. It's always a treat to hear from you guys. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please review!)


	7. Mrs Voyant

Chapter Seven: Mrs. Voyant

"So she's down there, is she?" Edgeworth peered around the corner of the wood paneled wall that led down into a dark corridor in the heart of Fey Manor.

"Mmhm. Just down that door." Maya peered around the bend too, though she was lower along the wall than he was. "You'll need to knock to let her know you're there to be admitted. She doesn't like it when people just barge in."

Edgeworth snorted.

"If she's so psychic, why do I need to announce myself?"

"After that, it should be fairly smooth sailing." Maya ignored him and squinted into the dark hallway. "Okay, I don't see anybody coming, so if you're going to go for it, now's the time."

"Alright." nodded Edgeworth. "However, before I do, I have one question."

"What's that?" said Maya.

"Why are we sneaking around like this?"

"Because it's fun."

"Oh, for- Maya, of all the times to be messing around, this isn't one of them." He removed himself from the wall crossly and stepped into the hallway, feeling ever more the fool. "We're on a time table as it is and-"

"Mystic Maya? Is that you?"

"Huh?" Maya glanced over her shoulder as an acolyte dressed in the full uniform complete with a hood softly padded down the hall towards her. "Oh, hiya, Mercy. What's up?"

"Not much." The nun in question was built very similarly to Sister Bikini, plain, round and ball-like, but unlike the good nun Edgeworth met all those years ago at Hazakura Temple, this one shared none of the former's natural optimism, verve or vitality; Her shoulders were slumped, her eyes were a dull brown and her pudgy cheeks hung in a state of resigned misery, much like that of a bulldog that had been kicked around too much as a puppy. "Um… can I talk to you? That is, if you have a minute."

"Of course I have a minute." Maya smiled reassuringly at her. "Whatcha need?"

"Are… are you sure?" asked the nun, who, in Edgeworth's opinion, was remarkably fidgety for someone at that time in the morning. "I don't want to bother you if you're busy."

"Oh, pish tosh." Maya waved her hand to dispel the notion. "As the master, it would be remiss of me to ignore the plights of anybody under my wing. So, what's going on? How can I help?"

"Well... okay." The nun wrung her hands, but she didn't look Maya in the eye. "I, uh... I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the train station and I- Oh!" The nun nearly jumped out of her skin when she finally noticed him standing there.

Edgeworth snorted to himself. It took her long enough.

"Hm? What's wrong, Mercy?" Maya looked in the direction the nun was staring and laughed. "What, him? Oh, don't worry. That's just Mr. Edgeworth. He doesn't bite, not unless you're a defense attorney, that is. Come on, I'll introduce ya." She wrapped her arm around the nun's shoulders and steered her closer, but if the nun's heels dragging against the floor were any indication of her mental state, Edgeworth wasn't sure she was entirely okay with getting anywhere near him, let alone being formally introduced.

"Mercy, this is Miles Edgeworth, the Chief Prosecutor and an old friend of mine." Maya introduced her congenially. "Mr. Edgeworth, this is Mercy. She's a medium in training and one of my loyal minions."

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Fey." Edgeworth bowed to her, despite the fact he half expected her to faint if he so much as spoke.

"H… hello." The nun mumbled while looking like she was about to be filleted on the spot.

"Well, now that everybody knows each other," Maya squeezed her hand around Mercy's shoulder and gave her a one-armed hug. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

Like the thunderous roar of the judge's gavel slamming down its verdict, several chains came flying out of the ether and surrounded Mercy's entire body in a web of metal, latched into place by four elephantine red locks.

Edgeworth's brows furrowed and his mouth set into a thin line.

Psycho-locks.

It seemed the magatama Maya gave him worked like a charm, which made sense since it technically was one.

"I, um… er-" The nun, on the verge of a panic attack, stumbled out of Maya's grasp. "I'm sorry, Mystic Maya, I'll talk to you later, but I have to go, bye~"

Then, without giving either of them time to react, she turned tail and flew down the hall as fast as she could, the locks still wrapped and floating around her.

"Mercy, hey, wait just a-" Maya called after her, but it was no use. "Darn it. She's gone."

"She's quite fast on her feet, isn't she?" said Edgeworth.

"Yep, she is." Maya's cheek puffed out. "And she took off without even telling me what she wanted to. Shoot. Now I'll have to go hunt her down later. I just hope I can find my pith helmet. Anyway, I wonder what was bugging her so much."

"I expect whatever it was had something to do with the four psycho locks that appeared when you asked her."

"She had psyche-locks?" Maya sucked in some air through clenched teeth. "Hoo boy. Speaking in the vernacular of the peasantry, that's not a good sign."

"Indeed. Maya, if I might be so bold, did I… do something?" Edgeworth looked askance at her. "I don't think I did, but as you've pointed out many a time in the past, I'm not very good with this sort of thing."

"No, it wasn't you." Maya shook her head. "Don't take it personally. Mercy's had a lot of bad experiences with men, and since you're a man, you can figure how she'd be. I've been working with her on it, but I don't know how well it's taking."

"Oh. I see." Edgeworth gazed back down the hall.

"Yeah. From her dad taking off when she was a kid, to her brother being a gambling addict and raking up a ton of debt only to dump it on her, not to mention all of the terrible relationships she's had over the years, Mercy's not got a good rapport with men. I thought she was getting better when she said she met this guy at her day job, but then I heard he got sent to prison, so it's anybody's guess how she's holding up now. She'll probably find somebody else and then the circle of bad life choices'll kick up again."

"It sounds as if she is a woman who is destined to become attracted to ill-meaning men."

"Some people unfortunately are, regardless of whatever anybody else has to say about it." agreed Maya, who then gestured to the door with the placard reading 'C. Voyant' nailed to the front. "Alright, best of luck to you. I won't keep you or her waiting any longer."

"You're not coming in as well?" asked Edgeworth.

"Nope, I can't." said Maya. "Mrs. Voyant only takes visitors one-on-one and that means I can't come with. Don't worry, though. I'll guard the door and whup anyone who tries to get in. After all, nobody fights like a Fey."

"Well, with you guarding the door, what do I possibly have to worry about?" Edgeworth brought his open hands like he did in court and smirked.

"My point, exactly." Maya either missed the sarcasm, or chose to ignore it again. "Good luck."

Figuring his jest was lost to the wind, Edgeworth straightened his shoulders, approached the door and knocked three times.

"Enter, young man." came a voice from inside. "Though I'd prefer you be as fast as you can."

Edgeworth's hand stayed to the doorknob and he looked back at Maya.

"Go on, go on." She urged him to press onwards in a hushed voice. "Keep her too long and you'll get an earful."

"I'm already getting the sinking suspicion I'm about to." Edgeworth hissed back, pushed open the doors, and slipped inside.

"Welcome, welcome, and dare I say, it took you long enough. It always pays to be on time, even if this meeting's off the cuff." The voice said while he fully entered the room and briefly glanced about the place to get his bearings.

Edgeworth's eyebrows creased together.

It was terribly lit in here.

However, it wasn't so badly lit that he missed the hunched figure sitting on the center tatami mat who was probably the best example that Edgeworth had ever seen of a living human raisin. She was dressed in the traditional acolyte robes he'd become accustomed to seeing on Maya, but her hair was whisked upwards into a bun he could only fathom was possible through the use of a well applied hand mixer, and her skin looked like year old crepe paper soaked in pretreated detergent water.

The room in which she sat didn't have much to set itself apart from any other channeling chambers he'd seen before, except for the massive wooden door with a large green magatama painted on it along the back wall.

Hm.

He wondered where it led.

Well, in any case, it was time to get down to business. He wasn't there for a leisure tour.

"Good morning, Mrs. Voyant. My name is Miles Edgeworth. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me on such short notice." He bowed low to her in respect as the door swung shut behind him, almost blanketing the room in complete darkness, save for the one brass lamp in the corner. "I hope I did not catch you at an inopportune moment."

The old woman smiled at him, but her milky eyes didn't register his face whatsoever. They simply swiveled in the direction of the sound of his voice.

'She's blind.' He stared at her vacant eyes for longer than he intended and started to chastise himself for doing so, but realized it didn't really matter if he gawked since she couldn't see him do it anyway.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Sit down so I can see you, right here upon the floor."

Taking a steadying breath, Edgeworth did as she commanded and situated himself on the square tatami mat in front of her that she indicated.

"Erm… pardon me for being impertinent, but how do you intend to do that?" Edgeworth asked as he attempted to make himself comfortable. "Not only is it poorly lit in here, but you are blind, are you not?"

"Indeed I am, but I've never been one to let that hold me back. Sometimes not having one sense makes the others pick up the slack." Mrs. Voyant smiled at him. "Now then, you had some questions for me? You may go ahead and ask, but I don't know much help I'll be."

"Thank you." Edgeworth nodded politely. "Miss Maya Fey claims that you told her that there was going to be a murder, but of whom or when she doesn't know. Would you please elaborate?"

"Yes, of course, I'll do just that. Do yourself a favor, though and hold onto your hat." The old lady straightened up as much as her coiled spine allowed and cleared her throat. "It was two weeks ago at the end of the Synod meeting. Mystic's Maya's performance was nigh perfect, but her happiness became rather fleeting. The council chastised her on some decisions that she'd made and left her in a funk. Then she went into the hall to clear the air, which to her, had quite stunk."

"The council and Maya got into an argument during the meeting?" asked Edgeworth.

"I daresay they did, but I'm not at all surprised. The traditions of old and the ideas of youth are seldom compromised. In any case, as a member of the council, I called her to my chambers right after that. She was still in a mood, but did her best to hide it and put up with this old bat."

Edgeworth paused.

Had she just called herself an 'old bat'?

"What caused her to become so angry with the council?" He asked.

"That's on a need to know basis for only those that are Fey." said Mrs. Voyant. "Don't take it personally, it isn't, so please do not dismay."

"Madam, with all due respect, if someone is going to be murdered, clan confidentiality no longer applies." said Edgeworth. "Public safety is far more important than-"

"No, no, no, stop right there and do not jump the gun. That didn't have anything to do with the warning, you're on the wrong track there, son." interrupted Mrs. Voyant. "I'm merely telling you what happened before, no more, no less. Run away with too much of the beginning and you'll only make a mess. Anyway, when we were talking, I went into a trance. Normally I don't do that on a whim, it's usually scheduled in advance."

"What exactly did you say to her?" asked Edgeworth.

"I can't recall the exact words because I wasn't quite all there. Divination's a tricky business of which the practitioner's not aware."

"Ah. So you don't know what you said at the time?"

"Not beyond the notes I reviewed after the fact. They made little sense to me, but did for her; her insight I sorely lack."

"You do have notes, then." Edgeworth caught onto the shred of information like a trout on the end of a wormed hook. "If you would permit me, may I look at them? That may prove useful to my investigation."

"Perhaps you shall or perhaps not, it all depends on you." Mrs. Voyant replied thoughtfully. "But first, I'd like to know more about whom I'm talking to."

Edgeworth subconsciously stiffened.

"Why would you want to know anything about me personally?" He asked quietly. "There's not much to tell and that sort of information isn't important to the case at hand."

"I'd like to get to know you, if you'd be so kind." said Mrs. Voyant. "It's hard to place one's trust in those one doesn't know, I find."

Edgeworth internally groaned. He didn't want to engage in twenty questions about himself with anyone, let alone a nosy old woman who spoke in nonstop rhyme. However, given the current situation, if he was going to get his hands on the manuscript that held the warning which upset Maya so much, he had little choice but to indulge her.

"… fine. Ask what you want." He resigned himself to his fate with a sigh; he could already tell he was going to regret this. "What do you want to know?"

"First off, I want to know what kind of man you are. I want to know what your true face is like, every mole and scar."

He wasn't sure what to make of her remark at first, but he quickly got it when she lunged at him and proceeded to run her gnarled, wrinkly hands over his face like a man searching for his dropped keys in the middle of a blackout.

"M-madam, what are you doing?!" Edgeworth balked at the sudden touch and tried to pull away, but found himself unable to do so. Her grip was unusually strong.

"I"m looking at you fully the only way that I can." Mrs. Voyant lightly ran the tips of her fingers over his face and gently gripped his chin in her hand. "And my, oh my, I'd no idea you were such a handsome man."

Edgeworth flushed. Twice in one morning he'd been referred to as such, once from a photo and the other from a blind woman, and he couldn't tell whether or not he should be rattled, insulted, or just a little bit pleased.

He also really didn't like people coming into close contact with him, so a complete stranger doing as she wished with his face was nothing short of traumatizing.

"Handsome, well built and rather striking, aren't you?" Mrs. Voyant's bony fingers pushed lightly on his brow bone, caught on a forehead furrow and trailed downwards to rest on his shoulders. "Decent shoulders, strong in posture, and you're young, too."

"Madam, I assure you I am far from young." Edgeworth couldn't keep the mildly depressed tone out of his voice. It had been a long time since anyone was interested in his demographic for advertising. "Also, I must know. What does my physical appearance have to do with divulging details of a murder plot?"

"Everything, dear. It's a policy of the Feys to never fully trust a handsome man." said Mrs. Voyant. "We might have our differences, but that one rule's unanimous throughout the clan."

"Why?" asked Edgeworth. "Not that I consider myself handsome, but-"

"It's a long story and not one that I have time to tell. Now, that that's out properly out of the way, let us chat for a spell." Satisfied with her appraisal of his features, Mrs. Voyant sat back on her heels. "Mystic Maya refrained from appearing at the meeting because she claimed that you were ill. I imagine it was rather serious and not solved by just taking a pill."

"Yes, I was discharged from the hospital this morning." Edgeworth brushed off his shoulder; he really didn't like being manhandled. "I am not sure if Miss Fey told you the details or not, but it was a case of acute carbon monoxide poisoning. She also said that she spoke with you about it and you cancelled the meeting as a result. While I understand and appreciate the sentiment, you needn't have done that. It was unnecessary."

"Yes, she said you'd say that, but I agree with her call." said Mrs. Voyant. "If someone I knew was in the hospital, canceling plans is only natural."

"Hold on a moment." Edgeworth interrupted. "It was her decision to cancel the meeting? Not yours?"

"Yes, of course it was her decision. One can't have a meeting with the master if the master isn't in."

"She said it had been you who cancelled it." Edgeworth's eyebrows furrowed against his eyes.

"Oh, did she? How intriguing." laughed Mrs. Voyant. "Does this fluster you at all, or is it just fatiguing?"

"Neither." said Edgeworth. "It just wasn't necessary, that's all."

"That's all? On that point, my dear, I simply don't agree. Besides, Mystic Maya needed a break from that whole menagerie." said Mrs. Voyant. "The council members think they know better than she and thus they poke and prod, but what they sometimes fail to remember is that the master's not a god."

"How do you mean?" frowned Edgeworth. "They don't deify the matriarch, do they?"

"No, they heap pressure onto the master until she almost buckles from the strain. It doesn't help that Mystic Maya's already in an unfair amount of pain."

"Miss Fey's in... pain?" Edgeworth blinked, genuinely taken aback. "I was not aware of that."

"Oh, yes, my dear, the worst pain anyone could e'er endure. It's not fitting that it plague someone so endearing and sweet as her."

Edgeworth was shocked. He knew Maya was under a lot of stress from her responsibilities and facing a potential threat head on, but she was in pain too?

How much weight could one person bear before they snapped under the load?

"If she's in pain, then why are they pushing her so hard?" He pressed. "Surely if they knew-"

"They do know; that's half the problem, I'm afraid. It's because she's not at her best, they do their utmost to twist her like a braid." sighed Mrs. Voyant. "They're pushing her to do something she doesn't want to do, and as the standstill between them mounts pressure, there may be a full on coup'."

The heat in Edgeworth's sternum flared. He greatly disapproved of anyone whom thought it their right to push all their whims on someone who was already too overwhelmed to properly fight back. If anything, it was bullying and he didn't abide such practices.

"What are they pressuring her into?" He inquired sharply. "Is it something illegal, or is something that she just finds revolting?"

"You'd have to ask her yourself if you really wish to know. I don't know all the details and that isn't my row to hoe."

"… fine. I'll just have to do that later, then. In any case, Mrs. Voyant, if you are the leader of that congregation, why haven't you done something to reign in their tyranny?" Edgeworth pressed on. "As the head of the council, it's your duty to maintain order, is it not? This seems like the opposite of order to me. If anything, it's sheer chaos."

Mrs. Voyant laughed.

"I may be a senior member, but I'm not at all in charge. I'm merely an old junk ship and the leader is a barge."

"I'll keep that in mind." replied Edgeworth sourly. "I'll just look for a woman that resembles a yacht and see where things go from there."

"Such cutting words, Mr. Edgeworth. I hope for her sake you're waxing poetically and just a man of mirth."

"… I'm not and please don't rhyme using my name."

"Oh, fine, if you insist, I'll do my best to refrain. As for your sentiment, I suppose given the circumstances, there's little on which to complain." Mrs. Voyant shrugged and continued. "However, I do find it interesting you instantly took her side. For all you know, it's all her fault and Mystic Maya lied."

The frown of irritation suddenly morphed into a full on scowl.

"Madam, I don't know what you are attempting to imply, but despite all her faults, Miss Fey is not the sort to go about causing problems when none have arisen. It's not in her nature, nor is it present in her past behavior." Edgeworth replied in a cold, clipped voice that would've made his younger subordinates quake in their shoes. "If anything, she is usually the victim of a plot designed to incriminate her as the culprit. I would know, having reviewed the many cases which involved her. So, by going off my experiences on the subject, I know how these things play out. Clearly, there are darker elements at work here and while I may not yet know what they are, until the truth has been unraveled, I refuse to unduly pass negative judgment on what would be an otherwise innocent party."

Though she was blind, Edgeworth could feel the gaze of Mrs. Voyant staring intensely at him, and at that moment he didn't rightly care. His pulse hotly danced in his cheeks and the horrid pain in his sternum right where the magatama rested had flared up again, but he was too honked off to give a hoot at that point.

"… Mmhm. Well, isn't that interesting." She murmured more to herself than to him.

"What's interesting?"

"Nothing, dear." Mrs. Voyant quickly brushed his question away. "I've merely poked the lion with the stick too many times, I fear. Let's get back to the topic of murder. It seems safer than that of the sheep, the flock, and the wayward herder."

"Fine." Edgeworth agreed readily, wanting to wrap up this malarky and get out of there as soon as possible; as far as he could tell, this whole endeavor had been a colossal waste of his time. "Mrs. Voyant, why did you tell Miss Fey to avoid getting the police involved? Surely if anyone would be of use to rout out a murderer, it would be them."

"Perhaps it would be good to call the cops, but not upon this time." The old lady grinned at him, showing a set of immaculate false teeth. "While they might be of use to some, it depends upon the crime."

Edgeworth's nose wrinkled.

"What are you talking about?"

"At this point, it matters not, so put it from your mind." sighed Mrs. Voyant. "The crimes that caused events to flow are beginning to unwind."

Edgeworth fought the urge to sink his face into his hands. What was he doing with his life? He could be over at the train station examining the crime scene, but no, he was stuck here indulging the whims of Miss Cleo-

"Also, I've been wondering, and I know you're under stress, but do you know about the locks that you happen to possess?"

"What?" Edgeworth looked up at the batty old woman and found himself transfixed.

Mrs Voyant was gazing at him with the glassy eyed stare from before, but unlike before, her eyes actively made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"I wondered when you first walked in, but now I am quite sure." She said without any humor in her tone. "The number of heavy locks you bear is not something to ignore."

"Locks?" Edgeworth repeated incredulously. "You mean, like psycho-locks?"

"Oh, yes. Five of them, big and dark, are weighing on your soul." She prodded him in the center of his chest with one of her gnarled fingers. "Unfortunately, they have already begun to take their crippling toll."

Edgeworth could barely believe what he was hearing.

He had psycho-locks?

Whatever for?!

All the skeletons in his closet had all been cleared up with the DL-6 incident years ago. He didn't have any secrets.

At least... he didn't think he did.

His expression nothing short of perplexed, Edgeworth looked down at himself, pressed the magatama hidden under his shirt close to his chest and focused as hard as he could.

No locks came.

"I don't see anything." He closed his eyes, opened them again, but there was still nothing. Was she pulling his chain?

"Do not try to see them, you will only strain your eyes." admonished Mrs. Voyant. "You are going to need those later should the truth begin to rise."

"Mrs. Voyant, I don't intend to sound impertinent, but how can you be so certain of there being locks at all?" He gestured at her milky irises. "You are blind, are you not?"

"Dear, I may be blind, but it's impossible they be missed." said Mrs. Voyant. "However, if you're dead set on knowing, I will tell you if you insist. A time ago, I traded my earthly sight for one that sees beyond. It's helpful with my work, but I have fallen into many a garden pond."

So that was how she managed to master an art not even Pearl could. Interesting. Then again, he knew how far some people went to achieve their career aims, and those of their pupils, so, while drastic, he couldn't say it shocked him.

"I see." Edgeworth poked at the magatama in an effort to kickstart it, which, naturally, didn't work. "So you're a living magatama of sorts?"

"If you like to view it as such, I will not stop you there. Although, before you prod and pry, there is something of which you must beware."

Mrs. Voyant leaned forward again.

She smelled like old cabbage.

"You should not once treat them lightly, for those locks are black as night. If you have further questions 'bout them, you should ask your old friend, Wright."

Edgeworth stared at her.

Wright?

What did he have to do with anything regarding this?!

"Hold on a moment. 'The locks are black'?" Edgeworth repeated curiously. "But all the psycho-locks I've encountered have been red. What does black mean?"

"You've a secret, shameful or not, but one you dread to know. As such, you took and hid it where you'd never dream to go. You are clever in both book and word, but that only goes so far. It's at times like these that the mettle tests the very fabric of who you are. However, you best get this addressed or else you will regret… all the time that you could've had and the people you'd have met."

Edgeworth sat there, still as a statue and just as speechless, while the old woman sitting across from him leaned back, twiddled her thumbs and began humming a little tune to herself.

Though he expected he was going up against someone who wasn't really on this earth anymore and about as sane, he genuinely had no clue how or what he was supposed to make of her pronouncement.

"Well then, I think that will be all, my dear, so you had better go." Mrs. Voyant swayed from side to side. "Unless you wish to hear more of my nattering, which I do not think is so."

"... very well." Edgeworth suppressed the urge to explode and got to his feet. He wasn't cut out for this fantastical falderal. He was a man of science, not witchery and other ridiculous occult nonsense.

However...

The black locks she talked about didn't bode well.

"It's for the best, you must understand, I have a session with an old friend of mine." said Mrs. Voyant. "I don't dare doubt you'll want to leave, unless that mess you wish to intertwine."

"You have another appointment today?" Edgeworth asked stiffly.

"Yes, she is due here quite soon, so you best be on your way. Don't worry, dear, you'll thank me later on, now go without delay- Oh, but before you go, check inside the chest right over there." The old lady pointed to a dark corner of the room behind her. "There's something inside that will be of use, as far as I'm aware."

Edgeworth looked to where she indicated and saw a small wooden chest tucked in the far corner of the room. He went over to it, saw that it was unlocked and flipped open the lid.

Inside was a ramshackle old notebook which housed paper the same consistency of card stock, several strange tools, and a tape deck that hadn't been last on the market since the 1980s.

"Take the notebook, for it is the only thing of use in there, in case you are wondering about what I wish to share."

"And this would be?" Edgeworth plucked the notebook out of the chest and readjusted his glasses.

"This is my manuscript in which I write all my divinations." She replied. "It will surely prove of use when you combat future machinations."

"You decided to let me look at it, then?" He glanced over his shoulder at her. "I passed your little test?"

"You did, though just by barely. It wasn't 'no contest.'."

Edgeworth snorted.

No contest, little contest, he didn't care.

He got the book and that was all that mattered.

"What about the other things in here? The tape player, for instance."

"I usually erase the tapes upon the book's recording, lest the contents go to someone with aims that are most discording."

Hmph. That was unfortunate. Still, if he managed to get his hands on a transcript of the entire story, it was worth sitting through this old lady's whirlwind of crazy for it.

Edgeworth internally punched the air and cracked the tome's spine open.

Finally, some actual answers.

He flipped to the first page.

His expression grew very dark.

"It's in braille."

Mrs. Voyant laughed.

"Of course it is, you silly man. I'm blind. Now go on, quick as you can."

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Maya asked once Edgeworth stepped back into the hall and the door slammed shut behind him. "It's good you finally came back. I got unbelievably hungry while I was out here waiting for you, and for some reason, I really want to eat a marshmallow cake and I have no clue why. At any rate, did you get the goods?"

"You didn't tell me she rhymed." Edgeworth's glower was more sour than an overripe lime.

"Well, if I told you that, you wouldn't have gone in." Maya huffed, which he had to concede was true. "So, did she give you a reading? She told me she was going to, but other than your suit, you don't look 'read' to me."

"I don't know about a reading per se, but she didn't tell me much that was of use. If anything, it was a test of my patience and temperament under strain." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I did manage to get a copy of the manuscript of her trance's contents, but in its current form, it's utterly useless to me."

He held out the book and gestured for her to take it.

"She gave her journal to you? Wow. She told me she wouldn't part with it unless she thought it was in good hands. She must've liked you." Maya took the book from him and flipped it open. "See, I knew you were the right man to get on board. You've always been a hit with the older ladies."

"One older lady." Edgeworth shuddered. He was already having a bad day. The last thing he needed was to think about the wicked witch of the witness stand.

"Sister Bikini liked you, too. So that's two, two older ladies! Ah, ah, ah."

Edgeworth blinked.

"... I beg your pardon?"

"What, you don't get it?" Maya grinned awkwardly at him. "It's the Count. Y'know, the Count? Count von Count? He always does that when he finishes counting things? I thought I'd make a little joke because we were... y'know... counting old ladies."

"I'm still not understanding you."

"Mr. Edgeworth, have… have you never watched Sesame Street?"

Edgeworth thought about it for a minute.

"No, I can't say that I have."

Maya's jaw dropped.

"What?! Are you serious!? Jeez, what kind of childhood did you have?! How did you learn how to read, or count, or spell, or annoy people like a cute, furry, adorable blue flight attendant?"

"I learned by reading my father's law books and going over the accounting records in detail." Edgeworth eyed her with a great deal of scrutiny. "As for the other things, I still have no idea what you're talking about and, at this point, I don't think I want to."

Maya looked completely appalled.

"Good freaking lord, were you ever a kid, or did you just spring out of a cabbage patch already forty years old?"

"Maya, I'm not even forty now."

"I meant forty mentally." pouted Maya. "Mr. Edgeworth, you totally ruined my joke."

"It's hardly a joke if the other party doesn't understand it." said Edgeworth.

"People would understand that joke easily. A two year old would've lost it laughing and somebody who's fifty would've gotten it, at least. That's a joke people are guaranteed to get. It's practically burned into the cultural DNA."

"Apparently, I'm not people."

"Apparently not." Maya, thoroughly deflated and a little sulky, opened the diary and peered inside. "Uh huh. Just as I suspected. Braille. Well, that's not very helpful, is it? Can you read braille, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"No, I cannot." said Edgeworth. "When she gave me the diary, I hadn't expected that at first, but in hindsight, I should've seen that coming."

"Was that pun intended?"

"No."

"Pfft, spoilsport." Maya turned to the last entry and skimmed her eyes over the dots. "Well, since I don't know the first thing about braille and you can't read it either, we'll have to find somebody that can decipher it for us. I wonder if Nick knows anybody that would fit the bill."

"What makes you think Wright would know anyone fluent in braille?" asked Edgeworth.

"You'd be amazed by the vast collection of whackadoos he's come across over the years." Maya tapped the side of her nose. "Present company fully included, of course."

"Naturally." Edgeworth smirked.

"Oh, hey, speaking of Nick, I've got some good news." Maya handed the book back to him. "He and Ema finally got here and are heading to the train station as we speak. We'd better head over too before they blow the place up... again."

"Still sore about that, are you?" Edgeworth tucked the manuscript next to the book the doctor had bestowed upon him earlier.

"Of course I am!" Maya's cheek puffed out. "I had to pay for those watermelons!"

Edgeworth regarded her charily.

"'Follow that Bird', 1985, it's a classic." explained Maya with another huff. "It's a Sesame Street thing. Seriously, the next chance I get, I'm sitting you down and we're watching it. It'll do your soul some good. Anyway, let's get to the train station before all the good getting's gone."

"Good. I could use something more concrete and not completely insane."

Having finished their business, both of them made a hasty exit from the manor and before long were headed for the train station at a brisk pace.

Despite his fervent wish to return to the land of the factual, Edgeworth couldn't stop thinking about what the old woman had said about Maya, her tiff with the council, and more specifically, the claims that she was in pain. Although she appeared to be fine, he was still just a little uneasy. She was already under enough duress as it was, the last thing she needed was to be in physical agony, too.

Not that he believed that crazy old crone, of course.

He didn't.

However... it wouldn't hurt to check.

"Maya, might I ask you something?" He said as they broke off from the main square in favor of a side street.

"Shoot." nodded Maya. "What's on your mind, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Are you... alright?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Maya tiled her head curiously.

"Er... I was just curious how you were doing." Edgeworth cleared his throat, feeling like an idiot; he wasn't cut out for this kind of thing. "And if you were... uncomfortable."

"'Uncomfortable'? In what way?" asked Maya. "Ohhh, I get it. If you mean, 'am I uncomfortable strolling around town with a tall, imposing, cranky looking, older man', then no, of course not. Why would I? You're great company, and contrary to what Nick thinks, you're actually pretty fun to talk to when you aren't ruining my jokes."

Edgeworth's brows knitted together.

Just what had Wright said to her?

"Oh. Well... thank you, but that wasn't what I meant." He reiterated, trying to find the right words to convey what he wished. "Are you in physical pain of any kind? Headaches, muscle tension, things of that nature?"

"Um... no, I think I'm okay. I'm a little stiff from sleeping in one position all night, but, other than that, I don't need any painkiller X or anything." The look on her face shifted from confused to suspicious. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason. Mere curiosity, nothing more."

Maya's eyelids fell halfway.

"Did Mrs. Voyant say something to you?"

"Er..."

Damn.

Maya was far sharper than he gave her credit.

"She... might've said something to that effect." Edgeworth circumvented the topic with a delicate touch; Maya was looking rather testy. "I was only checking to make sure her claims were unfounded, which they were, just as I expected."

"Uh huh. Sure." Maya retorted skeptically. "Well, if you happen to run into her again, you can tell her from me that I am just fine and have everything under control, and she doesn't need to go around scaring lawyers into next- Nick!"

Maya suddenly started waving enthusiastically at the train station's main platform and took off at a dead sprint, leaving him firmly in the dust. Upon looking in the direction of where she'd gone, Edgeworth saw what had made her mood boost.

Standing in front of the remains of the train station with his signature happy go lucky grin, was Phoenix Wright, ace attorney, best friend to Maya Fey, and a rival/childhood friend of sorts to him. He was wearing the same three piece suit he did in court, Edgeworth suspected he only owned the one, and his defense attorney's badge he kept pinned to his lapel flashed proudly in the sunlight, though if given the opportunity, he'd flash that badge at just about anyone who stayed still long enough.

"Hi, Maya!" Wright waved back at her. "Long time no- Oof!"

"Hiya, Nick!" Maya beamed at him as she hugged him tightly around the middle, though she wasn't looking at him directly because her face was buried in his suit coat. "We've been waiting for you!"

"I thought that was my line." laughed Wright while he tried to get his breath back. "Just careful of my back. The roads around here jostled it too much for comfort and you tackling me didn't do it any favors, either. They need to fix those potholes and soon, because they weren't potholes, they were pot-ravines."

"The ride would've been shorter if Ema hadn't had to double back for you." Maya let go of him and smiled puckishly. "Why didn't you do what Pearly did and leg it yourself? She was just a kiddo and she could handle it. You've got legs, you oughta use 'em!"

"What?! Run?! Maya, you're joking-"

"Of course I am. It's good to see you, though. How've you been-"

"Mr. Wright, I need your help over here. I've going to need something lifted and you've got bigger shoulders than I do, so- Oh!" Ema Skye, lab coat, forensic armband, pink glasses and all, looked up from the fingerprint dusting she was conducting on a nearby handrail and saluted Edgeworth as he joined the motley crew, her face glowing like the midday sun. "Mr. Edgeworth! Nice to see you up and about, sir! How are you feeling?"

"At ease, Detective." Edgeworth winced and placed a hand on top of his sternum; the pain in his chest had flared up again. "And I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you sure, sir?" Ema watched him uncertainly. "With all due respect, you look like someone just stabbed you with a scimitar."

"It's nothing, just a residual affect of the monoxide." He dismissed her concern with a swift flick of his hand. "More importantly, what's the current situation here?"

"Simply put, not good." Ema's cheek puffed out in frustration. "We've only got one witness who is refusing to make an official statement worth anything, the majority of the crime scene burnt away before the fire brigade could douse it, and to top it off, my bag of snackoos went missing."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"... 'Your bag of snackoos went missing'." He repeated tonelessly.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure I know who the culprit is, sir." Ema's eyes flashed in Wright's direction. "He thinks he's clever, but I heard munching on the way here. I'm onto him and his pilfering ways."

Edgeworth sighed.

Sometimes he was suspicious he was the only adult in the vicinity.

Other times, he was sure of it.

"If it will put your mind at ease, here." He reached into his coat pocket, retrieved his wallet and pulled out a few bills. "There's a vending machine down at the end of the street. Go get some snackoos."

"R-really?" Ema gasped when he handed her the money. "Are you sure, sir?"

"I do what I must to perpetuate your work ethic since that correlates to the quality of your results." said Edgeworth. "A package of processed sweets is a sound investment."

Ema's face lit up like a hyperactive toddler at Christmas.

"Yes, sir!" She saluted with even more gusto than the first time. "You really are the best boss ever. Do you want anything, sir?" He started to say no, but something stayed his answer as his eyes shifted to the pair conversing by the platform.

"... get me something with marshmallows in it."

"Yes, sir!" Ema took off down the street, kicking up a cloud of dust in her wake.

'She must really have been desperate for those snacks.' Edgeworth thought as he watched her dash away. 'Well, if it keeps her from murdering Wright and making the crime scene more complicated, I will allow the snackoos.'

With that potential snafu taken care of, Edgeworth approached the gabbling duo near the edge of the crime scene, who seemed to be arguing over Wrights' long distance marathoning capabilities.

"Hiya, Mr. Edgeworth." Maya greeted him cheerily once he reached them. "Where'd Ema go?"

"To procure some more snackoos." said Edgeworth. "It would seem someone stole her previous package."

He looked pointedly at Wright.

"... Nick?" Maya's eyes narrowed into slits. "What did you do?"

Wright grinned guiltily.

"Hmph. That's what I thought." Edgeworth radiated disapproval. "Really, Wright, you, of all people, should know to keep your hands off a detective's accoutrements. You could have contaminated evidence."

"Uh... I plead the fifth? Look, it was a long ride and I forgot to eat dinner last night and they were just sticking out of her pocket-"

"So you really did burgle her snacks!" Maya thrust one finger in his face while trying to appear menacing. "Nick, how could you?! Mr. Edgeworth, you need to prosecute him for this! Snack burglary is punishable by ten years in prison, right?"

"Hardly. The only people who think that it should be are you and possibly Detective Skye." said Edgeworth. "Wright, I'll let you off with a warning this time, but if you would refrain from stealing the detective's snacks in the future, I would appreciate it. It's interfering with her work."

"You're letting him off way too easy, Mr. Edgeworth." pouted Maya. "He should at least be flogged and left for the pigeons."

"When did you get so bloodthirsty?!" Wright blanched.

"Since she came back from Khura'in, I expect." Edgeworth commented nominally. "So, you took your merry time getting here, didn't you? I trust you've been well."

"Better than you." said Wright as he tried to shake off almost being turned into the star of a Hitchcock film reenactment. "I would've come sooner if I'd known what a party you were throwing at the hospital, Edgeworth. How're you holding up? Carbon monoxide's nasty stuff."

"I'll be fine." said Edgeworth. "An overnight stay and some blood work showed that I was fit for discharge this morning, and I daresay the head doctor would not have let me leave had I still been in dire straits."

"That's true." agreed Maya, her hand up against her cheek. "She probably would've drugged him and handcuffed him to the bed again if he'd tried to leave without her say so."

"Wait... what was that last bit again?" Wright broke out into a sly grin while his eyes slid to the left where Edgeworth happened to be. "Well, well. Handcuffed to a bed and not allowed to leave unless a lady says so, huh? Sounds like quite the party you were having. And here I thought you were good at escaping handcuffs because you br-"

"Don't let your licentiousness bleed onto the rest of us, Wright." scowled Edgeworth. "It's bad enough when Larry pulls that nonsense. I don't need it out of you, too."

Wright might still have been wearing his condescending grin, but, luckily for him, he got the message to change the subject.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." He stuck his hands in his trouser pockets. "So, where've you guys been? I've been texting Maya for a half hour."

"We were following up a lead for something else not related to this." Maya explained promptly. "Mr. Edgeworth's been helping me out with some of my master's duties."

Edgeworth spared her a discreet askance glance. It appeared Maya truly was dead set on keeping Wright out of the loop on this one.

"'Master's duties'? What was he doing, arguing with an old lady on your behalf?" Wright ventured cheekily with a half grin.

"There is more truth to that than you realize." sighed Edgeworth. "So, what have you and Detective Skye learned so far about the bombing incident? Has a suspect been identified?"

"Yeesh, can't we at least have some pleasantries first before we deal with the heavy stuff?" Wright drooped a little, but bounced back quickly enough. "Well, from what Ema told me, they don't have a suspect yet and the only witness is being persnickety as all get out."

"I see. I will just have to deal with them myself, then." Edgeworth folded his arms across his chest. Hopefully this one wouldn't rhyme at him.

"That's probably for the best." Wright anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. "Ema already tried, but came back really cranky and complaining about being out of snackoos. She didn't even noticed I'd stolen them before that point, that's how much the witness stressed her out."

"Did she say why?" asked Edgeworth.

"No, she didn't. She was too focused on her snackoos and lack thereof."

"She must really love those things, huh?" Maya mused aloud.

"She's a stress eater." Edgeworth explained curtly. "So it seems I will have to debrief a witness as well. That's fine. I wasn't already doing enough already. Why not add one more thing?"

"Well, if you really want to, I need help with a light fixture fitting that could use a good rustling."

"Maya, I was being sarcas-"

"Anyway, the forensics team is going to investigate what's left of the train that was parked inside the station when the bomb went off, but as soon as they're done, we can head in to take a look." Wright interrupted. "It shouldn't be much longer."

"Wright, did you say the bomb was on the train?" Edgeworth queried, a little taken aback. "Not in the train station itself, but on the actual train?"

"Yeah. The epicenter of the explosion was in one of the compartments of the train that was docked here." Wright pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it and began to read. "'The last train was scheduled to depart at 11:15 pm after a period of maintenance which started at 9:30 pm. Just as it was scheduled to take off, however, the train car exploded.' We only found out it was the car that'd blown up about ten minutes ago."

"What was the train line?"

"It was the 'Blue Star' line, a luxury passenger train which also happens to be the only one that runs at that time of night, sir."

Ema had come back with a new bag of snackoos.

"I see. I had a sinking suspicion it might be that line." said Edgeworth, taking the pastry package Ema'd brought him and nodding to her once in thanks. "Were there any signs of foul play?"

"We're not sure yet. However, if you're interested in signs, we found a piece of the shrapnel over there." Ema indicated over the railing to a molten piece of metal slag left on the ground. "That thing almost cleaved our sole witness in two when it flew out of the train station."

"Was anybody hurt?" Maya asked concernedly. "I know not many people ride on those trains at night, but-"

"We don't know yet." Ema shook her head. "The forensic team is still searching for... evidence."

Everyone in attendance glanced at the station.

"Euch." winced Wright. "That's gruesome."

"No kidding. I'd hate to have that job." said Maya.

"Was the explosion localized on the train, or was it spread throughout in a series of miniature explosions all culminating into one inferno?" inquired Edgeworth. "This could be an act of terrorism."

"It was localized." reported Ema. "The explosion took place in the first class compartment, which ended up almost blowing up the engine, but luckily the engineer scraped by with just a few minor burns and a need for some new pants. So, other than scaring the bejeezus out of him, I don't think this was terrorism."

"That's good." Maya let out a deep breath of relief. "I was worried someone might've gotten hurt."

"Don't get too relieved yet. We don't know if everyone got out unscathed." said Ema. "Even if this was indeed an arson attack, it could morph into a murder very easily."

"A murder? Why do you think it's a murder?" Maya shared an apprehensive sideways glance with Edgeworth, who nodded tacitly in return.

"Well... don't spread it around, but from a tally of the staff on the train, there's one person missing who should've been accounted for that night." Ema continued in a hushed tone. "And they can't find her anywhere."

"Hey, Ema? You might to amend that last statement."

"Why's that, Mr. Wright?"

Wright pointed to the exhausted forensics team shuffling out of what was left of the train station, each looking more dejected than the last. They exited the building one after the other in a fairly straight line, until three specialists that made the rear came out carrying a body bag.

A full body bag.

"I think they found her."

"Oh, my god." Maya clapped her hand over her mouth. "No..."

Ema scowled and grabbed another handful of snackoos.

Edgeworth just closed his eyes and exhaled uncomfortably.

Even though he had been instructed to watch many different crime scene retrievals ever since he was a young child, both on film and in person, it never got any easier seeing a body removed. It always held the air of a personal failure, that because he hadn't been thorough enough in his efforts to route out all perpetrators, a criminal had slipped through his fingers long enough to carry out another atrocity.

"... Okay, so this has either been a horrific accident, or this arson case just moved up to murder." Wright cringed, no more happy about it than Edgeworth. "What's your call, Ema?"

"I'd say you hit the nail on the head, Mr. Wright." Ema munched angrily like it had been the snackoos that had committed the crime. "And here I thought we've managed to get out of this without any collateral. Come on. Let's go see what we can find."

"As they say, after you." Wright heaved a sigh and trudged up the stairs after Ema's quick steps, but Maya didn't move to fall in line with them. She just stood there, staring up at the station's remains with a haunted hollowness in her eyes that didn't suit one normally so vibrant.

Letting a slight breath escape him, Edgeworth reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya jumped at the touch.

"Maya, in all likelihood, this incident was probably due to an accident. As unfortunate as it is, they do happen. Detective Skye and Wright are just jumping the gun before gathering all the facts. There's no reason to think that this is a homicide just yet."

"So... it's probably just an accident?" asked Maya.

"Yes." nodded Edgeworth. "We are only going in to make absolutely certain."

"... okay." After a minute of silence while she absorbed what he'd said, she inhaled deeply through her nose, let it out slowly and smiled at him. "Thanks. I needed that. Right. Let's go and get this over with."

Nodding more to herself than anyone else, Maya then steeled her nerve and started towards the station, Edgeworth right behind her.

Though his words had bolstered her back to her normal buoyancy, Edgeworth didn't claim to have consoled her due to altruism, nor would he had he been pressed on the issue. He just did what he had to in order to maintain normalcy in stressful situations, like with Detective Skye and her snacks, and Maya Fey being less than a sunny delight was not normal.

Besides, regardless of the circumstances...

… it just didn't do to see her unhappy.

* * *

(A/N- Hey, everybody. I just wanted to take a few minutes to say thank you to everyone who favorited and alerted and a special thank you to all of you who reviewed. I always love hearing from you guys and I really appreciate it. As for why this chapter was a little past my self-imposed deadline, originally I'd planned on uploading last week, but unfortunately wasn't able to do because I was, ironically enough, camped out in a hospital room for the better part of a day and a half, so it took a while to get back into the swing of things and get enough sleep to read straight, let alone edit properly. So, if anybody sees typos, please tell me. I'm tired. However, it looks like things are winding down for the most part, so I should be back on schedule without much delay, which will be very nice. I march on my schedule or else I forget to eat.

Also, on a more personal note, I am never writing another rhyming character again. Oy.

Anyway, thank you for reading and please review!


	8. Train Disdain

Chapter Eight: Train Disdain

"Yuck. Look at the state of this place." Maya stuck her hands on her hips and craned her neck around what was left of the scorched train compartment. "It's so bad in here, you'd think it was Nick's office."

"Hey, I don't have melted metal blobs all over my office, thanks." Wright picked up a piece of shrapnel and tossed it to the side. "Well... not anymore, anyway. Trucy and Athena melted the front desk when they were trying out her new 'lava-escape' trick, but we needed a new desk out there anyway, so I just got a new one, gave the old one to the recycling guys, and told Trucy flamethrowers were for outside use only. So in the end, it all worked out."

"Wright, I will never understand how you have no qualms with letting Trucy run wild all over your workplace, even if she _is_ one of the associates." Edgeworth stood in the doorway of the compartment, eyeing Wright with rife disapproval. "In order to achieve success in one's profession, there needs to be a separation between professional life and life outside of work. Surely you know that."

"That's easy for you to say." scoffed Wright. "You don't _have_ a life outside of work."

" _Wha~?!_ I do so-" Edgeworth protested and immediately cursed himself for taking the bait. Wright always knew exactly what buttons to push in order to get a rise out of him. It was infuriating.

"You do? Really?" asked Ema from underneath the passenger bench seat where she was parked. "I didn't know that, sir."

Edgeworth snorted derisively.

"Yes, Detective Skye. I have a life outside of my work. I just don't let it bleed into my professional life, nor do I see the need to discuss it with any of you. So, drop it or I'll dock your pay."

Ema promptly buttoned it, but unfortunately he had no control over Wright's salary.

"So, what, you actually have a social life? Like, going on dates and stuff?" Wright prodded. " _You?_ Mr. 'I'm in a long term relationship with the Prosecutors' Office and have the social skills of a wounded wolverine'?"

"I... well, I wouldn't say _that_ , but-"

"Aha, I _knew_ it!"

"Wright, don't you give me that, you have _no_ right to throw stones when you yourself are a walking glass tower of insecurity when it comes to the fairer sex-"

"Nick, stop picking at him. We already learned at the last trial you two are totally inept with anything to do with women, so you guys don't need to rehash." Maya stepped over Ema and opened the overhead storage compartment. "Don't throw shade when you belong in a lamp store."

" _We are not_ \- well, I can't speak for him-" Wright hooked a thumb at Edgeworth. "But I'm not inept!"

"Tch, yes you are." grumbled Edgeworth.

"If I might, I think I have a solution to this issue." suggested Ema from the floor. "Have you two ever considered dating each other?"

Both men instantly stopped bickering and stared at her, one with his mouth hung wide open and the other sporting a blush so powerful, his coat paled in comparison.

"What? It's a perfectly viable option." Ema slid back from the seat so she was fully visible again. "You already have known each other for a long time, so no need to worry about concealing personality flaws, you both can communicate with each other fairly well, though it's usually by shouting at each other in front of an old man wielding a fancy hammer, and if you date each other, that takes the female aspect right out of the equation. Besides, I always sensed some sexual tension lingering between you two, and I can't be the only one who noticed, so no one would be surprised if you decided to go down that road."

Edgeworth and Wright glanced at each other sideways, blushed again, and moved to opposite sides of the carriage.

" _What?!_ What are you guys so embarrassed about?! There's no shame in it, it's perfectly natural!" Ema's cheek puffed out indignantly. "It happens all the time in all sorts of animals, ranging from penguins to cats to certain horses. It's just nature's way of being nice when attempting to limit population growth of a specific species. In fact, in some bonobos-"

"Detective, don't you have something else you could be dealing with in the next carriage right now?" Edgeworth interrupted tersely, the cheekbones behind his glasses practically glowing. "Anything else you could be doing? I think you do. Go. _Now."_

" _Fine."_ Ema got up off the floor and stomped into the next compartment. "Jeez, what is it with lawyers and being so uptight? Everybody did it all the time in ancient Greece and Rome. Heck, if you didn't, people thought you were a weirdo-"

Wright slid the door shut after her, cutting off her opinionated rant.

"Thank you." Edgeworth pushed his glasses up his nose in an effort to camouflage his blush.

"Y-yeah, no problem." Wright awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and wouldn't look at anyone.

"Hate to break it to you guys, but she does make a good point. Anyway, it's sure a shame Detective Gumshoe isn't here." Maya shut the overhead compartment, removed one of the seats, and stuck her hand underneath the back cushion. "I've already found about two dollars worth of change from fishing around in the seats. He'd go nuts if he knew what a goldmine we struck. He'd be able to get the high quality noodles in a cup, y'know, the ones with the flavoring packet."

Edgeworth and Wright suddenly looked uncomfortable again, but not because of what Ema had said a minute ago.

"Hey, speaking of which, how is good ol' Gumshoe these days? I haven't seen him in ages." Maya ferreted her hand underneath one of the other seat cushions and pulled out what looked like year-old gum. "Ew. Well, it might not be gum on a shoe, but it's gum in a seat. It doesn't look like it's recent, so it's probably useless as evidence, but it doesn't make it any less gross-"

"Hey, Maya?" Ema slid the door back open and stuck her head through the slit. "Could you come help me with this? I need another set of hands to jimmy this custodial panel open."

"Coming!" Maya dropped the cushion and scampered into the next compartment, leaving the two men alone in the carriage.

"You... haven't told her yet?" Edgeworth inquired discreetly once the door slid shut and clicked into place.

"I thought you might want to." Wright replied circumspectly.

"Why would _I_ want to?"

"He was your underling."

"She was _your_ assistant. Wright, she's going to find out sooner or later. You may as well tell her."

"Why don't _you_ tell her?"

"Because, I... it's not my place to tell her such things." Edgeworth stiffly straightened his suit coat and directed his attention to the nearby shattered window. "She's closer to you than she is to me."

"Edgeworth, Maya is closer to Charley than she is to you. However, that doesn't mean the houseplant is qualified to break the news." Wright rolled his eyes and pulled a coin out of his pocket. "How about we flip for it? Loser tells her."

"Fine." Edgeworth crossed his arms over his chest like he always did in order to stave off excessive exacerbation. "Do as you will."

"Call it in the air." Wright flipped the coin upwards with his thumb and it soared high above their heads.

"Heads." said Edgeworth just as the coin reached the zenith of its trajectory.

Upon coming back down, however, the coin bounced off of Wright's hand, torpedoed upwards, smacked Edgeworth in the center of his forehead, and ricocheted in the other direction.

"Whoa! Catch it!" Wright dove for it, promptly missed, and landed on the floor with a thud.

The coin then fell to the floor, bounced three times, rolled on its edge and fell through the grate on top of the vent.

"Welp, there goes my coin." Wright peeled his face off the floor and glared at the grate. "Got any ideas?"

"I surmise we will need to get a new coin, for starters." Edgeworth rubbed at the sore dent on his forehead where the coin had struck him. "How is it that you always manage to make the simplest of situations downright chaotic?"

"I don't know, I'm just gifted." The defense lawyer put both of his hands flat on the ground and pushed himself up. "I'm going to have to go after that coin, that was my only one, and we can't finish the toss if there isn't a coin to- _Ow!"_

Wright crumpled back to the floor in a heap of elbows.

"Wright?" Edgeworth arched an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"No." moaned the floor.

"Is it your back again?"

"Nope, I'm just down here because I like the linoleum. _What do_ you _think?!"_

Edgeworth snorted disparagingly.

"Wright, no matter how much pain you are in, there is no need to shout." He picked up one of Wright's arms, slung it over his shoulder and hoisted him up. "Come on. Up you get."

Edgeworth expected Wright putting too much strain on his back was bound to catch up with him eventually, so the fact that he collapsed while in the midst of being an idiot didn't surprise him much.

What he wasn't expecting was just how heavy Wright ended up being.

"Good lord, man." Edgeworth managed through clenched teeth as he steered him towards the passenger seat one labored step at a time. "You're… much weightier… than I expected you to be."

"Hey, don't you body shame me. I'll sic the internet on you." Wright tried his best to counteract some of his own weight, but the damage he'd done to his back rendered him nigh immobile. "Actually, I've been working out lately ever since I got my badge back and I gained some muscle, so that's probably why I'm harder to lift than before. Shame it didn't help reign in my spine any, though."

Eventually, they made it to the seat that hadn't been torn apart by Maya and as soon as they were close enough, Edgeworth deposited Wright on it with a flump.

"Ouch. Ooh... when did the world start spinning and can I get off?" Wright stuck his arm over his eyes and rolled off his back so he was on his stomach instead. "I'm getting dizzy. I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Don't you dare. This is a crime scene. We don't need your half digested, stolen snackoos all over the place." snapped Edgeworth, whose own back was threatening to stage a coup' after that extemporaneous heavy lifting exercise. "What kind of exercise have you been doing, exactly?"

"I've been doing a lot of weight reps and running ever since I got my badge back. I figured it'd be a great time to shake off the dust and get back into the swing of all things legal. I still don't get why I couldn't wear the sweatpants in court, though."

"You know very well why." scoffed Edgeworth. "They were a crime against fashion and you know it."

"You're just jealous you don't have your own pair. Edgeworth, you need to live a little and get some pants that don't have a crease in them. Anyway, my workout's not anything close to the insane stuff you get up to, but it's giving me pretty good muscle tone results, so I had to change up my wardrobe to match."

"Is that why you bought a new suit?"

"Sort of. I tried wearing the old one, moved my arms forwards, and ripped the back out like Tarzan. Speaking of which… man, my back is killing me." Wright groaned in agony. "I want a spine-ectomy, stat."

"You'll need to talk to one of the Paynes, then. They had theirs removed long ago. Perhaps you will be able to get the name of their surgeon." Edgeworth dusted off his coat with a few flicks of his wrist. "Wright, you really ought to consult a chiropractor about your back issues. It's possible you may have a degenerated disc."

"Yeah, 'cause that's going to do us a heck of a lotta good right now." replied Wright through strained breaths. "Hey, can you get the coin for me? I can't bend anymore, or move, or do anything. They're gonna have to get me out of here with a winch."

"It's just a coin. Use another one."

"I told you, I only had the one, and unless you have one on hand, that's our only option."

Edgeworth resisted the unbelievably strong urge to pinch the bridge of his nose and spared the grate where the coin had gone a contemptuous look.

"Oh, very well. I'll see if I can reach it." He took off his coat, dumped it on top of Wright's head, and rolled his sleeves so they were up to his elbows. "Here, hold that and make sure you don't get any of your hair product on it. That coat is worth more than your office furniture."

"Seeing as how all my stuff came from Ikea, I wouldn't doubt that." came a grunt from underneath the coat.

Rolling his eyes, Edgeworth knelt down on one knee, pried the grate off with his fingers and gingerly stuck his arm inside the hole. It wasn't that deep, but the narrowness of the opening meant he had to proceed with caution, lest he accidentally get himself wedged in the hole, thereby giving Wright a reason to laugh at him.

" _Ow!"_ Wright pulled the coat off his face and the old journal from Mrs. Voyant tumbled out of one of the pockets and clocked him in the back of the head. "What's this thing?"

"It's a journal I received in the midst of my investigation." said Edgeworth, still feeling around for the coin in the vent; where _was_ the damn thing?! "It's unreadable in its' current state because it's written entirely in braille, but Miss Fey suggested you might know someone who could decipher it."

"Why would I know- oh, never mind." Wright wrinkled his nose at the book and tucked into one of his own pockets. "Eh, I'm not sure if I do or not, but I'll ask around if it helps."

"Thank you."

"So, what else have you got in here? Hmm..."

" _Wright, leave my coat alone!"_

"You're the one who dumped it on my head. So, I get to nib." Wright grinned, despite obviously being in a substantial amount of pain. "Besides, you're not exactly in a position to stop me, now are you?"

"Nnngggh..." Edgeworth's eyelid twitched. And Wright actually had the gall to call _Maya_ the immature one?!

"Now then, let's see…" Wright began rummaging around his coat's pockets. "Wallet, train pass, allergy medications, handkerchief, keys, funny looking stopwatch thingy with a wand attached, weird... moldy old book? Ew. Why would you carry this thing around, let alone in your coat pocket? You're gonna get tetanus if you're not careful, Edgeworth... why are there marshmallow cakes in here?"

"Wright, leave those alone or I'll have the detective arrest you." hissed Edgeworth.

"Uh... okay, then. You really like marshmallow cakes that much? I never pegged you as the kind of guy who got territorial over sweets."

Edgeworth shot him the blackest of looks, though the overall effect was dampened since he was arm deep in a drain.

"Alright, alright, you don't need to get so testy." Wright put the cakes back in the pocket. "Did you find the coin yet?"

"If I had, do you think I would still have my arm in this vent?" Edgeworth's fingertips grazed over the top of something smooth. "Ah, I think I've got something."

He retracted his arm with the thing he felt inside his closed fist and pulled out what looked like a molten, mottled harmonica with half its white paint job missing.

"Hey, that's not my coin." said Wright.

"Thank you, Wright. I never would've figured that out on my own. What would I do without you?" Edgeworth rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the melted harmonica thing. "No, it looks like it is, or rather, was, a cigarette lighter."

"A lighter?" Wright leaned forwards as best he was able from where he'd been draped on the seat like a beached sting ray. "What's that doing in here? This compartment's non-smoking, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I remember when I specifically requested to not be placed in a smoking carriage upon coming here, so for all sakes and purposes, it shouldn't be here at all. Yet it is."

"Hm. That's a contradiction if I've ever seen it."

"My thoughts exactly. Wright, take a look at the logo." He rotated the lighter over until an insignia featuring a bright blue star outlined in silver was visible. "What do you see?"

"A blue star. That's the name of the train we're on." murmured Wright. "So this must be a company brand lighter."

"From my experiences on this train, the attendants attempt to sell an assortment of goods to unsuspecting passengers, such as magazines or other such sundries. This must be one of theirs." Edgeworth's thoughts harkened back to Milly Time, the overly enthused train attendant and her pornographic paper peddling.

"It looks like it's already been used, though." Wright pawed the lighter from his grip and pointed at the edge of the lighter that was still intact. "The wrapping's off and the cap's undone. It's also all melted, so it has to have been in here during the blast."

"Detective Skye will have fun lifting fingerprints." Edgeworth opened an evidence bag he happened to have on hand and Wright dropped the lighter inside. "That is, if she can find any."

Standing back up to his full height, Edgeworth stripped the latex gloves off his hands, rolled down his sleeves and re-buttoned them. It was very fortunate he hadn't chosen to wear the shirt that needed cufflinks, or else he would've surely lost them by now.

"Wright, which pocket did you put the CO detector back into?" Edgeworth took his coat back from Wright's possession and replaced it upon himself.

"Side pocket, I think. That's the stopwatch with the funny wand, right?"

"Yes."

"Side pocket, then."

Edgeworth reached a hand into his coat, pulled out the CO detector, removed the wand from the side hinge and surveyed the fractured compartment with a discerning eye.

"What are you doing?" inquired Wright, his expression nothing less than bewildered as Edgeworth proceeded to brandish it all around the room.

"Checking for carbon monoxide." said Edgeworth. "The doctor gave me a portable detector, so I decided to put it to good use. It never hurts to be thorough."

"Are you getting anything?" Wright glanced at the broken shards of glass that used to be the window. "It's pretty ventilated in here, so that'll make your checking just a little tricky."

"Be that as it may, I'm still inclined to check." replied Edgeworth. "I don't intend to allow something such as that to sneak up on me ever again. Also, there are trace amounts of CO still lingering inside this train compartment."

"What?! There are?! We have to get out of here, then-"

"Wright, calm down. The amount in here isn't hazardous, so you won't have to be rushed to the hospital for anything other than your Jenga tower of a back." Edgeworth's eyes narrowed as he read the information on the tiny screen. "According to this device, the traces are about the same as sitting next to a fire outdoors. The CO concentration is nothing too dangerous, especially after the fire brigade doused and aerated the place, but it is picking up some lingering fumes."

"It could've been generated from the fire." suggested Wright. "CO burns off a fire, and there was one heck of a blaze caused from the bomb going off."

"Perhaps." Edgeworth pocketed the detector. "Though it wasn't as complete as I would've preferred, I think that should be all that's necessary for this scene. We should move on to the next issue at hand."

"Yeah. This wasn't the most clue enriched crime scene I've ever seen." Wright clawed his way up the seat and wheezed when he made it up to a seated position. "Most of the relevant evidence burned away."

"I agree." nodded Edgeworth. "I'll go see how Detective Skye and Miss Fey are faring. Perhaps they've had better luck than us."

"Fine, you do that." Wright rested his head against the arm of the seat. "It's not like I'm going anywhere at this rate."

Edgeworth made to leave, but as he put his hand on the door, his grip stayed on the lock. Thoughts of speaking with Maya brought back memories of what had transpired earlier that morning, and that reminded him of something.

"Wright, there's something I wish to ask you." Edgeworth turned away from the door and looked at him sternly. "And since I don't want unnecessary ears listening in, this is a prime opportunity."

Wright blanched.

"Uh... if it's about what Ema was suggesting, I'm, um, really flattered and all, but I'm still trying to get to know myself better after getting my badge back and Trucy's going through some teenage hormonal stuff, so I'm not really looking for anything right-"

"Not _that_ , you melon. What do you know about black psycho-locks?"

Wright's pale face quickly darkened.

"Black psyche-locks?" He repeated. "Why do you want to know about that?"

"Just answer the question, Wright." said Edgeworth. "What do you know about them? Judging from that reaction, you know something."

"I know they're bad news."

"Elaborate."

"Okay, okay. Yeesh, a 'please' in there wouldn't kill you." Wright cleared his throat and tried to sit up as straight as he could. "Alright, you know how a psyche-lock is a representation of a mental barrier that keeps people's secrets hidden, right? The stronger the mental barrier and the urge to keep their secrets hidden, the more locks show up, and as you present more evidence and point out the weaknesses in their barriers, the locks break and the secret will be addressed by the person with it. You follow me?"

"Yes, I am aware of that much." nodded Edgeworth. "Continue."

"Okay. Well, when the locks are black, that means that the person with the secret doesn't _know_ they've got one. The secret is generally something the person can't bear to face and they've buried it so far deep down within themselves, they don't even know it's there." explained Wright. "The black locks manifest themselves because of the secret and glue themselves onto their soul, protecting the person from ever discovering what the truth they can't come to accept is."

All the hairs on the back of Edgeworth's neck stood stiffly on end like they were in a military parade.

"So... a black lock is a sign of a subconscious mental barrier that the victim isn't aware is there." He summarized, all the while attempting to ignore the pounding of his pulse in his ears. "Moreover, that mental barrier is caused by a secret that the possessor isn't aware of and refuses to acknowledge. Is that it?"

"Yeah." nodded Wright. "Most of the time, they don't even know they're doing it, but they've got a secret buried so deep down in their soul, they can't bear the idea of letting it come to light, not even to themselves."

"What causes this?" Edgeworth pressed further. "Is it a personal issue, or is this more of a whole truth they cannot accept on a grander scale?"

"Hoo, a whole raft of things. Denial, trauma, refusal to admit unflattering truths about themselves, unfounded narcissism or pride, general ignorance, a personality deformation, a misnomer to which they stubbornly cling, it could be just about anything. However, from my experience, the more locks there are, the more destroying the secret is to the sufferer who is desperately keeping it under lock and key."

"So it's more personal, then." Edgeworth ran a hand down his face; this was getting worse by the minute. "Have you run across these in the past?"

"Twice." said Wright. "Once with a defense lawyer I knew, and again with Athena."

"What were their causes?"

"Well, I'm still not entirely sure to this day what caused the lawyer's locks, but Athena's were directly involved with the murder of her mother and having been so traumatized by the incident that she blocked it off completely in order to defend herself. You remember that trial, I hope?"

"How could I possibly forget? The courthouse blew up."

"Yeah. Actually, I always figured if I'd had the magatama back during your trial in 2016, I'd have seen some on you."

"You might just get your wish." Edgeworth muttered bitterly under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"… okay. So, how'd you find out about black psyche-locks?" Wright pointed curiously at him. "You only ever got to use the Magatama when I was in the hospital after that nasty fall off Dusky Bridge and, the last time I checked, you didn't carry around your own."

The magatama pressed next to his chest hung heavily against his pectoral in protest.

"… Wright, if I tell you, you must swear to secrecy about this." Edgeworth stared him down like an eagle would a salmon. "It came up during my investigation about a matter that Miss Fey wished for me to look into."

"Yeah, sure, of course. I promise." said Wright, his brow rife with concern. "Is Maya okay?"

"This part doesn't have much to do with Miss Fey, but I found it out as a result of my investigation." Edgeworth took in a deep steadying breath. "Do you remember when Maya mentioned I was undertaking some business for her as a favor? Well, I went to go speak with a medium about something pertaining to that business, and during the conversation, she told me I… I had some."

"Had some? Had some what?"

"Black locks. She told me I had black locks."

Wright's jaw dropped.

" _You've_ got a black lock?! Er... just how many are we talking here?"

"Five."

" _Five?!"_ Wright sputtered, which did nothing to assuage Edgeworth's concerns. "Wha- how?! I thought you worked through all your drama years ago."

"If I knew that, do you think I would be asking _you_ about it?!" snapped Edgeworth. "And keep your voice down, will you? I only just found out myself a little under an hour ago."

"Okay, okay, let's just… take a breath and calm down here. Before everybody panics and calls ToD, let me take a look." Wright fished a hand into his pocket and brought out a bright luminescent green nine of his own. "I've got my magatama right here, so let's just take a little peek and see if the old bird's onto something."

"A second opinion would be most welcome." said Edgeworth.

"Okay. Hold still, Edgeworth." Wright rubbed the magatama in between his palms to warm it up. "Alright, let's ask you a question that might trigger the locks to show up."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Let's see... Oh! How about, 'what are you hiding from yourself that you don't want to admit?'"

"That's a little on the nose, isn't it?" Edgeworth commented lightly.

Wright's brow furrowed.

"I suppose it was. Nothing showed up." He rested his chin in the crux of his thumb and forefinger. "Well, okay, how about... er... 'what damning secret about yourself is so soul crushing, you would bury it?'"

They waited for a minute.

"Anything?" asked Edgeworth.

"Nope, nada." Wright pocketed the magatama. "Was this source who told you about the black locks reputable?"

Edgeworth snorted.

"Not that I could see. She holds a sizable amount of influence among the mediums, but all I saw was a blind, rhyming lunatic." He folded his arms against his chest and looked away. "I knew it. That old lady was a crock. I should've figured as much."

"Hey, c'mon. Don't be so hard on yourself." Wright attempted to cheer him up. "If a medium'd told me I had black locks, I would've checked it out, too-"

"I was a fool to even consider her words." Edgeworth wasn't listening; he was far too embarrassed to listen. "Gaining black locks is a result of lying to oneself, is it not? I should've known that she was full of it the instant she said as much. I stopped denying the truth a long time ago. In fact, ever since DL-6 concluded all those years ago, I have not lied to myself once!"

Wright's black eyebrows skyrocketed.

"Uh... Edgeworth?"

"Besides, I am a man of the law and I mean to uphold it to the best of my ability. Trading in lies, especially about myself, is not part of my being, nor my creed. Candor is my policy and nothing else."

"Edgeworth-"

"So, on that vein, what possible reason would make _me_ , a man who's dedicated himself to finding the truth, no matter what it is or where it leads, lie?! I can think of no reason to-"

" _Edgeworth!"_

" _What?!_ Wright, I'm in the middle of being annoyed with myself, I don't need you interrupting my-"

"I see them."

"What? What do you see?" Edgeworth's tirade stopped on a dime. "The locks?!"

"Uh huh." Wright nodded, his eyes bigger than hubcaps. "And, uh... eheh, those are some big'uns you've got right there."

Edgeworth's complexion grew green and he glanced down at his chest, though he still couldn't see anything.

"They... they are?" He swallowed hard and turned his attention back to Wright. "Well, tell me what you see! Out with it, Wright! Time is of the essence."

"I see big, black locks all over your soul, Edgeworth." Wright breathed out a long puff of air. "I don't have any idea why you've got them, but they're pitch black and from the looks of things... one of them appears to be stabbing you."

Edgeworth blanched.

"Stabbing me?"

"Yeah, the one right here." Wright reached forward and poked Edgeworth dead in the center of his chest, the exact spot where Mrs. Voyant had done. "It looks like this one is gouging you with a big spike right in the middle of your chest. I've never seen pokey parts on a lock before. That's new."

"When did they show up?" Edgeworth winced at the pain where Wright had poked him. He felt like a vampire who'd gotten staked for overstepping his boundaries.

"When you said you hadn't lied to yourself since DL-6." said Wright. "Apparently, that's not nearly as true as you think it is. I don't know what you lied to yourself about, but it's obviously one heck of a tale you spun."

"But I- I'm sure that I haven't- I mean, that's-" Edgeworth was so flustered, he could barely speak. "I-I don't- I don't know what you're talking about. What tale?! I told no such-"

"I _know_ you don't think you did. That's the problem." countered Wright. "And what's worse, when you started denying it again just now, that one big spiky lock in the center dug into your chest. Are you feeling okay?"

"... Actually..." Edgeworth put a hand to his chest and winced; his sternum throbbed terribly. "No. I'm not. I have a strong ache in the center of my chest and it's not improving."

"Yeah... that's what I thought." Wright's expression grew grim. "I can't say I'm surprised. Just feeling what's coming off those locks is enough to make a guy consider getting his hands on some anti-depressants."

"You're getting a sensation off of them?" asked Edgeworth. "I didn't know you could do that with psycho-locks."

"Only with the black ones. Do you want me to describe it?"

"Please."

"Okay..." Wright focused on where Edgeworth suspected the locks were placed. "They feel... desperate."

"Desperate?" Edgeworth repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. I'm getting feelings of desperation and... desolation and grief." Wright's face grew uneasier the more he kept searching. "Um... I'm getting sadness and despair and… Edgeworth, I'm sorry, but I can't really describe it as anything else other than resigned sorrow mixed with rampant distress."

"Alright, that's enough." Edgeworth swallowed down a labored breath. He had enough of a description. He didn't need more.

"Edgeworth, I know stating the obvious is your thing, but this secret of yours isn't just big. You lied to yourself about something huge and now it's trying to rip you apart." Wright wiped some sweat off his forehead. "Do you have _any_ idea what it could be?"

"None." Edgeworth shook his head.

"Well... I don't pretend to be an expert here, but if I was going to summarize, it looks to me like whatever it is, your subconscious has resigned itself to it and your body is actively rebelling against the decision." said Wright. "You'll have to talk to one of the Feys for an official opinion, though. I'm just a veteran amateur and this calls for a pro. However, if you don't get that secret off your chest soon, it just might kill you."

"I... I see." said Edgeworth soberly. "Then how do we do that?"

"We leave them alone for starters. I'm not going near those things with a forty foot pole and neither should anybody else until we get more information on them."

"Why?"

"Because messing with locks like those aren't worth what they could do if they break before they're ready." said Wright. "Edgeworth, that lawyer I mentioned suffered a mental breakdown because one of his locks was removed by brute force. If we tamper with these before they're ready, you could end up in a catatonic state with a ton of irreversible mental and spiritual damage just like he did."

Great. There was nothing quite like a threat of ending up a vegetable to liven up his day.

"Then what is to be done?" asked Edgeworth. "I'd prefer avoiding catatonia if at all possible, but these can't be allowed to stay adhered to my chest."

"Well, in the case of Athena, the only way she managed to break through these locks was to figure out what had happened on her own with time and a little bit of luck." Wright puffed out a tired breath of air. "This is something you'll have to figure out on your own, Edgeworth. However, I'm already hopeful you'll pull through."

"Why is that?"

"While you might not be sure what it is, you're already acknowledging there's something up. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have asked." Wright offered him a small smile. "That's one step up on that lawyer. He never admitted there was a problem, and then when he was forced to face it before he was ready, that's when it all came crashing down. He hasn't been responsive since. However, you've already figured out there is a problem, and remember, the first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one at all."

Edgeworth snorted again.

"It's a shame you didn't take up a career in writing greeting cards, Wright. That, or fortune cookies."

"Heh, you're right. Hey, speaking of fortune, you never did get my coin back."

"Oh, to hell with your coin. I am _not_ sticking my arm back down that vent-"

"Hey, Nick? Mr. Edgeworth? Are you guys still in here?" Maya slid back the door leading to the next compartment and poked her head through the slot. "We found something really interesting in the custodial panel that Ema sent off for testing, so- Nick, why are you flumped on the seat?"

"Hi, Maya." Wright waved at her. "I fell down and I couldn't get up."

"Are you really getting that old?" Maya's nose wrinkled at him and she stuck her hands on her hips. "That's it, I'm getting you life alert."

"He hurt his back trying to retrieve a coin." said Edgeworth. "Would you have Detective Skye call a few officers to remove him? He can't walk on his own right now."

"I think... I can probably do it now." Wright peeled himself off the sofa and forced himself upwards. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I don't need to be sent to the home yet."

"Well... okay, if you're sure you're alright." Maya eyed Wright with a skeptical stare; she clearly wasn't buying it any more than Edgeworth had. "So, if Nick's done re-enacting 'Thoracic Park', Ema just said she's gotten some information about the body's identity and she's already left to get it, so if you guys want to get a first crack at the autopsy report, now's the time."

"Right. I'm on it." Wright hobbled to the door, but paused right at the edge. "Hey, Maya? You said you found some loose coins in one of the seats. Will you do me a favor and flip one for me? It's already been called, so all you have to do is flip it."

"Sure, no problem." Maya plucked a coin out of her pocket, flipped it into the air with her thumb, caught in her palm and immediately smacked it onto the back of her other hand. "Okay, it's flipped."

"What is it?" Both Wright and Edgeworth looked at her hand.

Maya took her hand off the coin.

"Tails."

Edgeworth's shoulders sank.

Damn.

"Right. I'll go head out with Ema to talk to the cops about who our dead guy is, so I'll see you guys in a bit. Have fun." Wright waved and almost sprinted, which Edgeworth found suspicious because he claimed he hadn't been able to move a minute ago, out of the train compartment.

"Tch. You coward." Edgeworth glowered at the door as it slid shut, leaving him and Maya alone in the train refuse.

"What was that all about?" Maya stuck her hands on her hips again after pocketing her coin.

"Wright and I merely had a wager about something, nothing of much interest." Edgeworth deflected. "I appear to have lost, however."

"Is that why he threw his back out? He was chasing after a coin?" Maya shook her head. "I should've figured as much. Nick's no good with wagers, or flipping, or dexterity. You should see what happens when he tries to shuffle cards."

"Is it 'fifty-two pick up'?" asked Edgeworth.

"More like 'fifty-two get your cards out of my hair'." groused Maya, though she quickly brightened. "So, what was the wager about? Details, gimme."

Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose. As much as he didn't like it, it seemed as though it fell to him to break the news to Maya about... the incident.

Damn it all, where was the houseplant when you needed it?!

"Before I do, I wish to ask you something." Edgeworth swiftly navigated away from her question; he needed time to formulate what he was going to say.

"What?"

"What did you find inside the custodial compartment?" He folded his arms against his chest and lightly tapped the crux of his elbow with his fingers, though he ended up wincing because it hurt; he'd forgotten about all the holes dotting the landscape known as his arm.

"Oh, that?" Maya smirked knowingly, held her hands behind her back and leaned forwards. "Oxygen canisters."

"Oxygen canisters?" Edgeworth's eyebrow arched. "Like the one I was hooked up to while in the hospital?"

"Mmhm. Three big ones with the 'O' on them and everything. See, the next carriage over isn't really a carriage. It's a glorified storage closet." Maya explained. "We found all sorts of things in there, baskets, magazines, snacks, lighters, newspapers, personnel uniforms, lockers, brooms, orange cleaning scraps, mops, buckets, all burned beyond repair, of course, but still, the whole shebang. Speaking of which, I even found a magazine of Oh!Cult! magazine that had _me_ as the featured article. Me!"

"... O-oh, really?" Edgeworth cleared his throat as discreetly as he could manage.

"Yeah. Jeez, talk about creepy." Maya shuddered. "I read a little bit that wasn't fried and from the way the writer was going on about me, you'd think he was trying to talk people into snatching my panties off the clothes line. And the pictures… eesh. Not gonna lie, I'm feeling pretty violated right now. I mean, why'd they have to go and take a picture of me right after I fell asleep that time I ate too much cake? There was white frosting all over my face and everything. I looked like a melty drunk clown with half my robes off."

Edgeworth's expression blackened.

"Do you want me to sue them for you?"

Maya stared at him.

"Wh-what?"

"I... I don't claim to be a litigations expert, but... it can't possibly be _that_ difficult. I just..." Edgeworth cleared his throat again; he hadn't meant to make that offer out loud. "I just thought I'd offer."

Maya smiled at him, looking very amused.

"You're sweet, but no. I'm okay. I'm a big girl, I can handle one creeper with a magazine article. Don't think they're not gonna hear about this, though. I'm prepping a speech and everything so I'll let 'em have it when I've got some time."

"Are you sure?" asked Edgeworth.

"Mmhm. However, tell you what. If they ever do any of that stuff again, or the pictures continue after I have at them for breaching my privacy, I promise to let you know and then you can slay them with your lawyer powers. Sound good?"

"… lawyer powers?"

"Oh, y'know. Logic, intimidation, credentials, sharp looking suits, pointing. Lawyer powers. Anywho, do you want me to continue about the things we found?"

"Please do." said Edgeworth.

"Okay. Well, somebody had stashed three big oxygen tanks inside this custodial panel, the poor brooms were just thrown out of the way and pushed up against the corner, and slammed them inside." said Maya. "However, even with them being stashed away like that, that wasn't the weirdest thing about them. Wanna know what it was?"

His eyebrow arched again.

"Of course I do."

"They were empty."

"Were they ruptured?" asked Edgeworth.

"No, they weren't. Other than their labels scratched half off, the canisters themselves were in perfect condition. They were just empty. We checked the gauge twice on each canister." Maya wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. "Why would anyone put empty oxygen canisters in a custodial panel? I mean, if you're keeping them in case of an emergency with a passenger, that's one thing, but why have empty ones?"

"I haven't the faintest idea." said Edgeworth. "Was there any indication of where they came from?"

"Well, the only place I can think of is the hospital." suggested Maya. "We should check and see if they're missing any. I'm sure Dr. Bolysm would love to see you again."

"I think Wright is in more need of a doctor at this point than I." retorted Edgeworth. "However, that is an excellent idea. Well done, Miss Fey."

Maya beamed at him.

"Okay, enough beating around the bush. What were you and Nick talking about?"

Edgeworth cringed on the inside.

Maya was remarkably singleminded in her pursuits.

He blamed Wright for rubbing off on her too much.

"Oh… very well. I'll tell you. It pertains to something that was brought up before, Miss- I mean, Maya." Edgeworth began carefully. "You see, Wright and I talked it over and-"

"You guys are going to go out?"

" _What?!_ No, of course not."

"Really? Aw, that's a shame. You two would be so cute."

" _M-maya!"_

"Oh, relax, will ya? I'm just teasing you."

"... oh. Well... good."

"Nah, Nick's way out of your league."

" _Mmph~!"_

"Hee hee, sorry, sorry. Sometimes I just can't help myself. I have to poke the prosecutor with a stick." Maya glowed cheerily. "Now, what was it you both talked over?"

"It's..." Edgeworth inhaled deeply in an effort to assuage his rosy pallor and readjusted his cravat. "It's about what you mentioned earlier. You might wish to sit down for this, because it might come as a shock, but-"

He didn't get to finish.

Out of nowhere, the carriage began jostling and shaking violently as tremors plowed through the metal container, throttling it and the people inside like an out of control bartender mixing drinks.

" _It's an e-earthquake!"_ Maya shrieked, the metal floor beneath her feet rippling like an ocean wave as each explosion of the quake's fury tore through the poor, unsuspecting compartment.

Edgeworth's mind went blank.

... earth... quake?

Like someone had flipped a switch, Edgeworth's knees buckled and he collapsed. His head and back crashed into the metal wall of the compartment behind him, sending a whirlwind of pain cascading throughout his body, but he was too far gone to care.

He wasn't in the train compartment anymore.

He was back in the elevator again.

That cold, barren elevator.

The dark one.

... so dark.

He couldn't see.

He... he couldn't breathe.

The air was too thin.

They'd been in there too long.

... he couldn't breathe...

"Mr. Edgeworth!" Out what was seemed like nowhere, a voice called through the darkness. "Mr. Edgeworth, can you hear me?"

... who...?

Why was someone calling his father's name...?

Was it help?

No.

No help was coming.

Help should've come by now, but… it hadn't.

They'd been trapped in the elevator for hours now and no help came.

He was still trapped... in the elevator.

Everything was black.

He couldn't see, he couldn't feel anything.

He was too cold.

He... he couldn't breathe.

"... Mr. Edgeworth, if you can hear me, focus on my voice..."

He could... he could see the bailiff and his father fighting.

No...

No, stop.

 _Stop._

 _Don't hurt him!_

"... Mr. Edgeworth, do you know where you are...?"

He couldn't let this happen.

He had to stop it somehow.

There had to be something he could do.

Anything.

He looked around for anything, anything at all that he could use to help his father-

The sound of a door beginning to slide open echoed in his ears and he sharply turned towards the sound, though it was still so dark, he couldn't see.

That was the elevator door.

He could hear it being opened.

No.

 _No!_

He had to do something.

If he didn't, his father would be murdered.

He couldn't let that happen.

Wait.

There was someone moving around in the darkness near him.

The only person who ever got that close to him was his father.

So... so that _had_ to be him!

With everything he had, he lunged forwards, seized the person in front of him and forcefully yanked them towards him so they crashed into his chest.

" _Mr. Edgeworth?!"_

His blood rushing in his ears, he pressed himself flush against the figure as tightly as he could and and pivoted them both away from the door just as it slid open all the way.

The gun wasn't getting his father this time.

It'd have to go through _him_ first.

"Hey, is everybody okay in here?" A voice came from outside the elevator as someone entered. "I felt the earthquake go off and- _M-maya?!"_

"Nick, get out of here _now!_ I'm fine! Just guard the door and don't let anybody in here! I'll take care of it! Just _go!"_

"Er, right! Leave it to me, nobody'll get in. I got it!"

He didn't know who was talking, nor did he care. All he knew was the only thing he cared about was protecting his father from the bullet and he wasn't letting go for anything.

They'd have to shoot him first.

He had to protect him.

He had to protect...

He... wouldn't... let... him die.

He wouldn't.

... wouldn't...

"... okay..."

... huh?

"... it's okay..."

Someone was talking to him.

Someone… with a soothing voice.

"... over. It's all over..."

... over...?

What was over?

He took a deep breath.

He... he could breathe?

"...You're alright. It's alright..."

He wasn't too sure.

His head hurt.

"... Mr. Edgeworth, you're okay. You were okay before, you're okay right now, and you're going to be okay. I promise..."

Wait...

The voice was talking to _him_.

That was _his_ name.

"Mr. Edgeworth, if you can hear me, listen to me. You're in a train compartment. Nobody's going to hurt anyone. You're safe."

... safe...?

Wait...

He... he was safe...?

Was he?

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're safe. It's okay. You're okay. You're going to be okay."

He... he was... okay.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're not in the elevator. You're in a train compartment in Kurain Village. You're 35 years old, you're the Chief Prosecutor, and you're okay."

... the voice was right.

He wasn't in the elevator.

He was in a train compartment.

His head hurt unbelievably and the more he hazily found his vision returning to him, the more he found the voice wasn't lying.

He was indeed in a train compartment and he was a grown man, not a scared nine year old boy.

However... he distinctly remembered having tackled a physical body and he was still clinging to it, so...

... so if it wasn't his father...

What _was_ he holding onto?

He looked down.

"... m... Maya?"

"Hi." Maya smiled reassuringly at him from where she was squished inside his arms' constrictive grip, though from the look on her face, she couldn't breathe all that well. "Back with us?"

"I... I, er... what did... what did I-" He managed in a harsh whisper. "Why are you-"

"Why am I sandwiched between you and the wall?" Maya turned her head from where it was hooked over his shoulder, since that was the only part of her that could move from where she was pinned, to look at him properly. "You were in a bad way when the earthquake hit and... the confined space didn't help your case any."

"I... I see."

"You gave me a right scare, y'know." She tried to laugh a little to ease the tension, but her voice was strained from being squeezed so tightly. "You usually curl into a ball and start shivering or pass out, so I didn't know... you could react like this, too."

Hot shame washed over him like a bucket filled with boiling water that had just crashed onto his head.

"Maya, I... I didn't mean to... I-" Edgeworth leaned backwards so she was no longer pinned to the wall and slackened his grip so she could breathe better, but he couldn't bring himself to let go fully just yet.

He was... too scared to let go.

If he let go, he could end up back in the elevator.

He didn't want to go back to the elevator.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." Maya wiggled an arm out of his taut grasp and patted his arm palliatively. "Scars run deep, and sometimes they don't fade all the way, no matter how much lightening cream we apply. Are you alright?"

"... I think so." Edgeworth inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. "My head hurts."

"I'm not surprised. You hit it pretty hard when you fell. Is it okay if I check it? I won't if you don't want me to touch you."

"Mm."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes." Edgeworth assented. "You may."

"Okay." Maya wriggled her way upwards, though Edgeworth still didn't let go, until both her arms were free and her bust pressed itself firmly against his sternum. "I'm going to check now, so when you feel something touching you, it's me. Just me."

Removing his glasses so they didn't get in the way, Maya moved her own head so they were about only half an inch away from touching noses and stared into his eyes intently.

Edgeworth's breath hitched.

No one had ever gotten this close to him before.

"Your pupils are the same size, so you don't have a concussion, but-" Maya closed her eyes and gently touched her forehead to his. "You're a bit warm, but that's probably just a residual from the episode, so I'm not going to worry too much about that right now. Now, about that head..."

Her forehead still touching his, she raked her fingers through his hair and against his scalp, which elicited a spasmodic gasp to escape out from somewhere in his breastbone.

"I can tell you frogged yourself a good one when you hit the wall." Maya told him as her hands moved around his crown in an intrinsically circular fashion. "You didn't break the skin, but you're going to have an egg there, so when we get out of here, we'll have to get you a bag of ice for that-"

Edgeworth wasn't listening.

He wasn't able to.

He was too focused on how utterly amazing her fingers pressing and moving against his head felt. In the past, he had never been one for any type of physical contact among people, especially not in the form of massages, but this...

This was magnificent.

So magnificent, in fact, that his neck muscles gave way and his face fell into the crook of her neck with a light thud.

"Mr. Edgeworth?!" Maya stiffened for a split second as her eyes swiveled towards the inert head laying on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." murmured Edgeworth limply. "I'm fine."

"Does... my touching your scalp feel good?"

"... Yes."

"Do you want me to keep doing it?"

"Yes."

"… Are cravats silly looking?

"Ye-"

He stopped midway and snorted irritatedly, though he didn't lift his head up to properly glare at her.

"Just seeing if you were paying attention." Maya laughed and patted the back of his hair. "That means you're doing better than earlier. That's a good thing. Your ire at me will keep you grounded. We need to keep you grounded right now. It'll help."

She didn't stop her perusal of his hair, though.

If anything, her hand strength grew more deliberate with each movement of her fingers.

Breathing out an extensive sigh of relief at the touch, Edgeworth's head's sank deeper into her shoulder as his muscles uncoiled and his eyelids slid shut.

This was nice.

He could've gone to sleep right then and there, which was quite astonishing considering what he had just re-experienced.

Normally he didn't sleep for a week after an attack like that.

"Hey, just letting you know, if this helps you get back to how you were before the earthquake hit," Maya's hands massaged their way down his head until they were working on the back of his neck. "I can do this for as long as you want. Just tell me when you've had enough, okay?"

She would… do this for as long as he wanted her to?

Really?

Hmm.

He hoped she didn't have anything pressing to attend to for the next three weeks, then.

* * *

(A/N- I am truly blown away by all the feedback I got from you guys. It really makes my day knowing that my work's being appreciated and really helps motivate me to write more, so thank you all so much :D. Not gonna lie, I beamed like a headlight when I got all those messages. Also, just to clarify, there was a little bit of confusion regarding my previous note about the whole hospital situation. I wasn't the one in the hospital, I was just camped out there for support, so there's no need to be concerned. I'm fine. Just tired. Knock on wood. Anyway, thank you all for reading, thank you for all of the favorites, comments and reviews, and as always, please review!)


	9. Compunction Junction

Chapter Nine: Compunction Junction

"How are you feeling?" Maya asked after twenty five minutes or so passed by in the carriage.

"Like I've been hit by a bus crossways." Edgeworth replied stiffly. After the last remnants of the earthquake's wrath purged itself from his system, Edgeworth had been wracked by a horrendous sense of self reproach. As a rule of thumb, he prided himself on maintaining a certain level of propriety in all things; he conducted himself with a sobriety envied by lawyers the world over. Mind, it didn't always work, but he at least attempted to keep a grip on his senses. However, all dignity, respectability and refinement that he spent his every waking hour cultivating evaporated when an earthquake erupted. In a matter of seconds, Edgeworth went from a polished, sophisticated, decorous gentleman to a sniveling, shivering wreck of a sorry excuse for a human being.

Simply put, it was downright humiliating.

Edgeworth glared at himself. He was a grown man, for god's sake. He knew better than to let some age old trauma best him. He knew his mind was just rehashing a bygone event that had no bearing on the present moment. He knew everything to do with that episode was over and done with.

But...

At the same time, he didn't know that.

Not when an earthquake hit.

So, in his opinion, it was perfectly reasonable that he was cross with himself. To be in one mind about an issue and still acting in another was a trait he hated about himself when it came to one of his more impressive weaknesses.

Unfortunately, that brought him to one of his other more impressive weaknesses; explaining himself to anyone else.

Edgeworth spared Maya an askance glance.

Hmph.

It seemed he had accrued yet another debt to her, much to his shame.

Not that he was able to tell her that, of course.

Other than his last statement, he had barely spoken a word to her since she had begun coaxing him back to reality. She had talked to him quietly about nothing of substance while she massaged the back of his head and neck with her delicate, porcelain-like fingers, but he hadn't returned any of her conversation, first because he'd been too numb, and then because he was too embarrassed.

Had he been a more articulate man when it came to emotional turbulence, he would've had no qualms in letting her know that his discourteous manner was not directed at her personally, that he was merely furious with himself for his lack of self control, and that he was grateful towards her for her swift actions to stabilize him in his moment of... fragility.

Unfortunately, Klavier Gavin he was not, so all he could do in the meantime was stifle any overt curtness and hope she didn't become too offended by the brusque attitude that slipped out.

Strangely enough, Maya hadn't seemed to take his reticence nearly as personally as he first expected. She just sat there, talking to him in a soothing voice and working her fingers into his flesh like she was kneading pastry dough.

Even when they'd moved from the floor to sit on the compartment seat, she hadn't once stopped her pursuit of eradicating his muscle tension. Her hands worked their way around his head and neck, and eventually traveled down his arm to his right hand, which she was still massaging. Instead of being angry, Maya looked the picture of repose as she deftly maneuvered her thumbs in the center of his palm. If he had to nail the image down, he supposed she had the air of a hand painted china doll that had sprung to life and decided to attack a muscle knot or two because it could.

Edgeworth looked down at the hand Maya tenderly held between her own pale, slender ones and then back at her face, his insides reeling with guilt.

Though he hadn't been cognizant of it at the time while in the midst of his flashback, he had still tackled her, pinned her against the wall, and held her in place with every piece of muscly sinew he possessed to the point she couldn't even breathe properly, let alone move.

His shame intensified.

She must have been scared half to death.

"Hey, what's up?" Maya noticed he was watching her through the corner of his eye. "You look like you want to say something. Something on your mind?"

Edgeworth bit back a groan of contrition.

He needed to say something to her, but what? An apology? An explanation?

Would that really be enough?

Nnngh.

He wasn't cut out for this at all.

Oh, to Hell with it. He was just going to throw caution to the wind and let fly with the first thing he was thinking. If he could think his explanation through and apologize in his head, why couldn't he just come out and say whatever he wanted without so much as a 'by your leave'?

If Larry could do it, then so could he.

It couldn't be that hard.

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya snapped her fingers in front of his nose. "Uh oh, I think I lost him."

Edgeworth inhaled a rallying breath.

Okay.

He could do this.

Here went nothing.

"Maya, you should run away from me!" Edgeworth straightened up and glared at her so vehemently, one would think he'd spotted a hole in the defense's argument.

Maya dropped his hand.

"Why?" She stared at him like he'd lost more than just a screw. "Are you gonna throw up?"

" _What?_ -No, I- Argh…" Edgeworth sank his forehead into his free hand and stifled a groan. That hadn't been how he'd wanted it to come out at all.

Okay, apparently it was that hard.

"Er… Maya- Miss Fey. Though I never intended to have done so, I put you in a position of great distress during my earlier... episode." Edgeworth began awkwardly and removed his hand from his face so he could fully look at her; if he was going to do this, he was going to do it properly. "That, however unforgivable and inappropriate, is an irrefutable fact. I was not aware that I could react like that, but now that I am aware of the possibility of my actions reoccurring, I must do so now. So, in the future, when I am in the throes of one of my... issues, it is imperative that you stay far away from me. I have no desire to do you any harm and-"

Maya's eyelids fell halfway, she reeled back and bopped him square on the arm with her fist.

" _Ow!"_ Edgeworth rubbed at the offended arm. "What was that for?"

"Being a goober, that's what." Maya puffed out a cheek. "Mr. Edgeworth, I know you didn't mean any harm. Say what you want about yourself, but you're a good guy. You don't go around hurting people. So, you can stop being so hard on yourself. I'm not upset now and I wasn't at the time, so knock it off with the self perpetuating guilt trip already."

"Why?" Edgeworth asked before he could reign in his curiosity. "Surely my actions would have rendered any woman into hysterics."

"How would being hysterical have helped?" Maya stuck her hands on her hips. "If anything, it would've made you worse. Panicking never helped anybody do anything useful, especially not during a crisis."

Edgeworth considered her sentiment. It was a valid one.

"Besides, if I had wanted to be hysterical, I would've waited until after you calmed down all the way and _then_ I would've fallen apart. That way, you could pick up my pieces. It's called 'symbiosis', Mr. Edgeworth. It doesn't work if we're both scared at the same time. Besides, you're making too much of a big deal about it. I won't lie and say you didn't rattle me a bit when you snatched me up, but I never once felt like I was in any danger, so stop beating yourself up." Maya retrieved the hand she had dropped and reconvened with the massage. "You don't need to worry about me. Nick's the one who you should be warning. Unlike me, he wasn't too sure."

Edgeworth froze.

"He thought I was going to hurt you?"

"Nooo, he thought you were going to hurt _him_." Maya whistled through her teeth. "When he pulled back the door and saw you staring him down like that, hoo boy, I thought he was going to pee himself. That's one of the reasons why I threw him out. I didn't know what you were going to do if he got too close or just stood there looking like a steak."

"... oh. Was it truly that bad?" He didn't really want to know, but it was vital that he find out.

"Let's just say, I didn't know you could go feral." Maya playfully pawed at his arm. "If you did that in court, the judge'd be having daily heart attacks."

Ah.

Always good to know, he supposed.

"Maya, if you would indulge me, I am curious about something. How did you know how to calm me down?" Edgeworth inquired as Maya reconvened her perusal of his hand by moving one of her hands to his fingers while the other stayed on his palm.

"I've had some experience dealing with this sort of thing." Maya pliantly worked on his knuckles with the pads of her fingers. "Some of the mediums have had nasty experiences when channeling unsavory souls and end up with panic attacks afterwards. It usually works to calm them down, so what you did wasn't anything I haven't seen before, even if it was new for you. I'm just glad I could help you snap out of it so you didn't have to be like that for ages. You seem to be doing better in any case, even if you got hit by a bus crossways."

A small smile flickered on Edgeworth's face.

"You really do take great care of your subordinates, don't you?" He murmured quietly. "That is commendable."

"Thanks, but it's just part of being the master, so don't thank me too much." Maya hummed contentedly. "I do everything in my power to protect anyone in this village whom I deem in need of it and are fit to receive it. So, yeah. I try."

" _Hey, Maya?"_

"Oho, speaking of one such customer, hi, Nick." Maya looked at the door that was knocking at her. "What's shakin', bacon?"

"It's been thirty minutes. Is it safe to come in yet?" The wall outside the compartment asked. "Is he tamed? Tell me the truth. I don't want to die, not like that. It'd be so embarrassing. What would they put on my tombstone?"

"Oh, I've got it!" Maya chirped at the door. " _'Phoenix Wright, gone from this earth. Mauled to death by a rogue Edgeworth.'_ "

"Maya, that's not as funny as you think it is." said the door.

"I'm not so sure of that, Wright. It's actually a little catchy." Edgeworth stifled a mild chuckle. "You might want to consider it for an epitaph."

"You like it? Really?" Maya's face lit up.

"Yes, it's not bad at all."

" _I_ think it's bad."

"That's because you don't like the implication of the statement." said Edgeworth. "Now, are you going to come in here, or are you satisfied with shouting through the door like a drunk sorority girl?"

Wright didn't reply, but the door to the compartment slid open, anyway. However, instead of a lawyer, all they saw was a white napkin stuck to a pencil with a paper clip waving vigorously at them.

"Really, Wright?" Edgeworth's eyebrow arched. "A white flag? Isn't that a tad histrionic?"

"What? I improvised." shrugged the flag as it swayed back and forth. "Just letting everybody, that means _you_ , know that I come in peace and would like to leave in one, preferably."

"Tch." Edgeworth scoffed disdainfully at the flag. "If you truly come in peace, why is it that when you're around, I hardly ever get any?"

"Oh, hey." Maya chastised him with a poke to the arm. "Be nice. He's worried about you and it won't kill you to let him in so he can fuss without worrying about his life being in jeopardy. It's okay, Nick, you can come in now. He's almost back to his normal self, but watch out, he's a little crotchety."

"Yeah, when isn't he?" The lawyer attached to the flag gingerly stepped into the compartment. "Hey, Edgeworth. Back to your usual frilly self? How are you doing?"

Edgeworth bristled. What did he mean by 'frilly'?

"How do you think?" He glanced at Wright with a sour expression worthy of a thwarted lemon.

"That bad, huh?" Wright pocketed the flag.

"That's putting it mildly." Edgeworth leaned up against the backrest of the seat and exhaled. "It's ridiculous. To know that even now I am still haunted by what happened in the past is just humiliating. At one point, I thought I was making strides to be rid of this, but it seems I may never fully be able to move on."

"Oh, hey, c'mon. It's not that bad, Edgeworth. Don't be so hard on yourself." Wright said consolingly as he rested against the wall and crossed his arms. "I mean, sure, you went into a state of psychosis, which was new, and squished Maya against the wall, which was also new, and were about two seconds away from tearing my head off when I opened the door, which isn't exactly new, but still kinda terrifying, but, hey, it could've been worse."

"How, pray tell, could it have been worse?" demanded Edgeworth exasperatedly.

Wright shrugged.

"I dunno." He scratched the back of his head. "You didn't lose a defendant you were chaperoning this time. That's a plus."

Edgeworth groaned and sank his temple into his hand.

Oh, he had to bring that up.

" _Nick!"_ Maya stuck her hands on her hips and glared at Wright like an irked schoolmarm lecturing a misbehaving student. "You're not helping."

"What? He's the one who asked. Besides, he didn't lose one, so that's an improvement. He also didn't curl up into a ball, or start shaking, or pass out or cry, so you've gotta admit he's making some headway, right?"

"Yeah, maybe, but you didn't need to reach so far for an example you were about ready to pull a muscle." Maya retorted reproachfully and turned to Edgeworth instead. "Hey, I've got a great idea. How about we talk about something happier? Something that's happier and distracting and doesn't have anything to do with earthquakes- Oh _,_ I know. Let's talk about Mr. Edgeworth's favorite thing in the whole wide world."

"Neck scarves?"

"No, not those, Nick. Autopsy reports."

Edgeworth regarded her from the corner of his eye.

"Autopsy reports are not my favorite thing, Maya."

"Really? From the way you change them up all the time, I could've sworn they were."

"Heh, she's got you there, Edgeworth."

"She does not. Also, they're _cravats_ , Wright, not neck scarves. Get it right."

"Eh, same thing. Out-of-date fashion worn by little old ladies in the 19th century."

"Wright, so help me-"

"Nick, did you get the report for the body removed from the train?" Maya interjected before Edgeworth's blood pressure spiked past the point of no return. "You said you were going to go get it."

"Huh? Oh, yep, I've got it. Hang on a minute." Wright reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the makeshift flag from earlier. "Ema just handed me this a minute ago, so it's still hot off the presses."

Edgeworth was riveted to the spot.

"You were using the autopsy report as a _flag?!"_

"What? I use what I've got. What are you going to do, dock my pay?"

" _I just might!"_

"Why's the autopsy report written on a napkin?" Maya poked the napkin with her index finger.

"The officers who created the report ran out of paper. It seems somebody cut their funding." Wright detached the autopsy napkin from the pencil, unfolded it, and cleared his throat. "Anyway, according to the autopsy report, the cause of death was due to an explosion which went off in close proximity to the victim, big shock there. Time of death is set around 11:15 pm approximately, so that matches up with what the witness said about when the bomb went off. Death was instantaneous when the explosion occurred inside the first class train compartment, and the victim's dead body was burned to a crisp when the fire spread throughout the train and the station outside it."

"Poor thing." Maya's shoulders drooped sadly. "Well... at least they didn't suffer."

"Do they know who it is yet?" asked Edgeworth.

"No, not yet. The body was too badly burned to be identified by a face alone and the fingerprints were destroyed by the blaze. The only reason we know the victim was female is because the skeleture belongs to a biological female and the body was wearing the remnants of a female employee uniform, so we can only assume she identified as such." replied Wright. "They're running dental records now."

"They'll need to cross-reference the dental results with the train employee registry if she was indeed an employee of the line." Edgeworth considered the information with a ruminative mien. "That will cut down on time in identifying the body. Wright, where was the body discovered?"

Wright grimaced.

"Oh... y'know. Here. And there. And over there." He pointed to several spots in the compartment. "Everywhere, really. She was kind of all over the place. And on fire."

"Ew." Maya shuddered. "Um... was there any sign of foul play or a struggle? What was the state of the body when it was found?"

"Other than extra crispy, in pieces, and riddled with smoke like a Texas barbecue gone terribly wrong?" Wright perused the report. "Let's see... a grand helping of not very darn much."

"Elaborate, you knob." Edgeworth snapped. He didn't have time for games.

"Maya, he just called me a knob!"

"Stop being a knob and he won't call you that, then." Maya replied unrepentantly.

"Tch. Why do you always have to take _his_ side?" Wright started to sulk like a petulant child, but went back to the report, anyway. It was difficult at times for Edgeworth to remember that Wright was only a few months younger than he was. "Anyway, there weren't any signs of what you were asking about. The victim was in perfect health before death and no ante or perimortem damage was detected on the body. There were no stab wounds or strangulation marks, no signs of sexual trauma or of a struggle, nor were there any other indications of anyone other than the victim being in the area at the time of the blast, just a little smoke in the lungs and that's it. Sorry to say it, but this autopsy report's fairly cut and dry."

Wright then turned the napkin over so he could see the other side.

"The scene report's not much better, either. Nobody found any bomb remnants or an incendiary device anywhere near the explosion site, and there weren't any signs of things being tampered with either, so the police are ruling it as a fluke accident and wrapping it up as we speak."

"Is that it, then?" Edgeworth inquired as Wright folded up the napkin and tucked into his breast pocket where a pocket square should've been, yet wasn't.

"Yep, that's all she wrote." Wright tiredly scratched his chin with his thumb. "I looked over it three times and while it rubbed me the wrong way at first, I guess all we can do now is figure out who the victim is and alert her next of kin."

"Well, I suppose they can't all be sensational murders." Maya murmured glumly, but there was a definite hint of relief in her voice. "It's still horrible it happened, though."

"Yeah." nodded Wright.

Edgeworth, on the other hand, wasn't so assuaged.

"Wright, let me see that report." He held out the hand that Maya didn't have in her possession. "I want to take a look at it myself."

"Huh? Why?" asked Wright. "I read what was on it word for word. Are you saying that my narration abilities aren't up to snuff or something?"

"Wright, would you please just hand it over?"

"Nick, he said 'please'. You'd better hand it over. It's only fair."

Wright started to controvert the issue, but in the end thought better of it and handed him the autopsy report.

"See anything?" Maya craned her neck over his arm so she could see the napkin from one side, and Wright looked in from the other as Edgeworth replaced his glasses upon his nose and began to leaf through the report.

"Wright, I think I may have found your contradiction. Look here." Edgeworth gestured to a spot on the autopsy report. "I thought I heard something that didn't quite match up and there it is."

"The victim's tox screen?" Maya read where he had indicated.

"Yes. It says that there were traces of smoke inhalation in her lungs."

"So? There was a fire in here, so that's not too strange that she breathed in... smoke." Maya's eyebrows shot upwards. "... _oh."_

"I see you got it." A microscopic smile of approval showed itself on Edgeworth's face, but it quickly died away. "Look at the passage right here. 'Death was instantaneous'. Now why would there be smoke in the lungs if the victim had already ceased breathing before the fire occurred?"

"Was the victim a smoker?" suggested Wright, though he too was focused intensely on the report.

"No, the autopsy report clearly states that the victim was in perfect health, i.e. not a smoker." said Edgeworth.

"So, if she wasn't a smoker, why would there be smoke in her lungs from the fire if she was already dead before the fire happened in the first place?!" Wright slammed the wall like it was the desk on his side of the courtroom. "See, I _knew_ there was something about this thing that I didn't like and there it is, right there!"

"So glad _you_ caught it." sniped Edgeworth bitterly.

"Oh, Mr. Edgeworth, don't be like that." Maya chided him a little and squeezed his hand. "Nobody's taking your achievement away. So, what does all this mean?"

"It means either the victim was still alive after the blast went off, or there was something else in here she inhaled that wasn't from the fire." Edgeworth handed back the autopsy report to Wright and stood up. "Wright, tell the police not to label this as an accident just yet. There are still clues that need to be explained."

"Right, I'm on it." Wright made to leave the compartment, but stopped right at the edge of the doorframe. "Oh, and before I forget, I've got a message from Ema. Things have only gotten worse with the witness and Ema's at her wit's end, so if you could do something about that, that'd be great. She's already plowed through her bag of snackoos and was pestering me to go buy some more."

Edgeworth frowned.

Oh, yes.

In all that had happened since the earthquake, he had forgotten about the witness who was causing problems.

The one who was being...

... excessively stubborn.

He felt a pit form in his stomach.

Oh, god.

Please, _please_ don't let it be her.

"Mr. Edgeworth, are you okay?" Maya asked concernedly when Edgeworth pressed his hands to his temples and grimaced in pain.

"Nnngh... no." He shook his head, removed his glasses again and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

"Are you getting a tension headache?"

"It's impossible not to with that woman."

* * *

"You really think the witness is Ms. Oldbag?" Maya craned her neck around the corner so she could catch a glimpse of Ema off in the distance arguing with someone standing underneath a biliously gigantic pink and red umbrella.

"I have my suspicions." Edgeworth peered around the corner just above Maya's head and narrowed his eyes in a flinty glare; that blasted umbrella was blocking his view. "I just hope I'm wrong."

"But wouldn't she be dead by now?" Maya wrinkled her nose. "She wasn't exactly a spring chicken when Nick and I met her and that was every bit of eleven years ago. You remember, you were there prosecuting for the Steel Samurai case. She called you 'Edgey-boy'."

"Some evil never dies, Maya." Edgeworth scanned the area for a jumpsuit of blue with a crone in it. "You also needn't remind me. I have had it burned into my brain ever since the first time I heard its' utterance and I don't need to revisit that, thank you. However, I happen to know for a fact she is still alive. Her tenacity knows no bounds."

"It figures she'd be immortal." Wright stuck his head around the corner so it was just above Edgeworth's. "Nothing short of the world's best serial killer could cause Ms. Oldbag to shuffle off this mortal coil."

"So, what makes you think it's her, Mr. Edgeworth?" asked Maya. "Are your Oldbag senses tingling?"

"Mrs. Voyant mentioned to me earlier she was expecting an old female friend to come see her and that I would want to leave posthaste before she arrived. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that things have presented themselves as such, I cannot risk the possibility, however unlikely, that Ms. Oldbag was whom she meant."

Maya smiled up at him with a broad, smug grin.

"I thought you said she was a nut. 'A first rate escapee from a loony bin', I think you'll recall."

"It's merely conjecture at this point, but given my lack of fortune when it comes to witnesses, it's reasonable for me to be a tad trepidatious, regardless of the source." Edgeworth replied stonily; he hated it when people used his own words against him. "I am not a superstitious man, but running afoul of that old hen is not something I am willing to chance. She is _not_ getting the jump on me this time."

"Well, if it is her, that means she would've had to come in on the train you arrived on." Maya put her thumb to her mouth. "Did you see her at the time?"

"I don't recall running from the train screaming, so no."

"Pearly didn't say that she saw her, either. So, that means she's either wandering around somewhere, or she came on a later train, or you're just imagining things."

"Or she's the one who got blown up." added Wright.

"I highly doubt that is the case, Wright." said Edgeworth.

He wasn't nearly that lucky.

"So, when did you last see her, Edgeworth? From the sounds of it, it had to have been recently."

"I was investigating a case involving the Baytown Butcher about a week ago." said Edgeworth. " We don't have many leads on him, so I was eager to interview anyone who might have seen anything at the time. However, the only witness who saw anything worked security down by the docks and... well, you can fill in the rest on your own."

"Poor Mr. Edgeworth." Maya fluffed the cravat that was dangling over her nose. "It must've been really hard without Nick and me around to distract her long enough for you to make a break for it."

"It was harder to do so, yes." sighed Edgeworth. "Detective Skye wasn't a very good distraction and, without one, Ms. Oldbag is singularly focused on her pursuit; that pursuit namely being me. So, while you two might not have run into her as of late these past few years, I have not nearly been so lucky."

"I'm not gonna lie, that was the one thing about being disbarred that I didn't mind." Wright shuddered. "I don't envy you, Edgeworth. She always did like you just a little too much."

Edgeworth snorted incredulously.

A 'little too much'?

Tailing him at every opportunity, bestowing upon him all manners of pet names, invading his personal space with unwanted advances and sending all sorts of unnecessary tributes to his office, even when he barred their delivery, was a 'little too much'?!

"Hey, if there's a chance she could be sneaking about, I say that it's only right to be careful." Wright continued. "I don't want to run into her any more than you do. Seriously, if she calls me 'whippersnapper' one more time-"

"What, you don't like being called a 'whippersnapper'?" grinned Maya. "I figured you'd be glad to get the compliment, old man."

" _Old man?!"_

"Why are either of you complaining about what she calls _you?_ If anyone has a right to complain, it would be me." Edgeworth rolled his eyes and honed back in on the food stand. "Well, at any rate, we won't find out who it is by just standing here and gawking from a distance. Wright, go check it out."

"What?! Why me?!"

"Because I'm the Chief Prosecutor, Maya's the village master, and you're expendable. Go."

"Sorry, Nick. It looks like you're the canary on this one." Maya reached her arm up past Edgeworth's head and patted Wright on the cheek. "Chirp, chirp, little bird. Into the mine you fly."

"B-but I… urgh." Wright looked like he wanted to fight the issue, but two sets of faces telling him he wasn't going to win eventually made him give up the ghost. "Fine. I'll go. However, you guys owe me big. If I get gassed down that stupid mine, I'm gonna come back and haunt you."

"I'll have Pearly channel you so you can yell at us properly, then." winked Maya. "How's that for a plan?"

"A canary in a mine." Edgeworth murmured to himself as he watched Wright stomp away towards the cart. "Hmm."

"You say something, Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya glanced upwards and brushed his cravat aside.

"It's nothing. So, now all we have to do is watch Wright and gauge his reaction once he reaches the umbrella." Edgeworth positioned his chin in the crux of his thumb and forefinger. "That should determine whether or not it is safe to proceed."

"You really are thorough, aren't you?"

"I would not have gotten as far as I have without being so, Miss Fey."

"My name's Maya, Mr. Edgeworth." Maya cast her sight back towards the cart and tugged twice on his cravat. "Oop, looks like the coast is clear. Nick's waving us over."

"Maya, my cravat isn't a door bell. You don't need to ring it." Edgeworth rubbed at his neck where the fabric had chafed against his skin. However, in spite of her methods, he did note Wright was waving them over, so at the very least, his fears of encountering Wendy Oldbag were mollified for the time being.

"Let's go, Maya." He beckoned her to follow and strode towards the cart with the enormous umbrella.

"Hey, I just thought of something." Maya rested her hand pensively against the side of her face after she caught up with his long strides. "What if the witness really _is_ Ms. Oldbag and Nick only called us over to get back at you for sending him there in the first place?"

"Wright wouldn't do that." said Edgeworth.

"Why not?"

"He wants to see tomorrow, that's why not."

However, as he drew nearer to the cart, Edgeworth could hear heated arguing, which he expected if Ms. Oldbag was involved, but when they arrived, there was neither hide nor hair of her anywhere in the vicinity.

Instead, he found two young people angrily bickering with each other and Wright, who stood on the sidelines, looking exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Hi, Nick. How was the mine?" Maya greeted cheerily. "If you found any gold, you'd better share."

"Wright." Edgeworth inclined his head to the defense attorney. "I see you are, indeed, a most effective canary. Well done."

"Yeah, great, glad to be of help. Don't ever do that again." Wright then indicated the squabbling pair with a jerk of his head. "And you'd better do something quick, Edgeworth. Ema's about to go rabid and I think from the way the other guy's looking, he might too."

"What's happened here?" Maya frowned in confusion. "I thought it was the witness who was being a pain. Is this guy the witness?"

"I don't think so." said Wright. "From what I got in between the shouting, this guy is from local law enforcement sent to investigate and I don't think Ema likes sharing. I saw how she reacted over her snackoos. Imagine getting her to give over half her crime scene."

Edgeworth placed a hand to his temple. So the local police decided to meddle with the train station crime scene and therefore caused Ema to make a scene of her own, did they?

Perhaps there was more to Mrs. Voyant's wish to keep them out of the proceedings than he first realized.

"Hey, Mr. Edgeworth, if you're getting a headache, I can do that thing again if you want." Maya made a motion with her hands and pointed to his temples. "You seemed to like it before. It might help."

Wright raised an eyebrow.

"What thing?"

"Nothing, Wright. You and Maya stay here and don't get too close. This could get messy." Edgeworth mouthed a silent, yet discreet 'later' at Maya and steeled himself as he approached the feuding duo of police turned school children.

This was going to be unpleasant, he could already tell.

"I've got this all under control!" Ema stomped on the empty snackoo bag that had crumpled up on the dirt and ground it beneath her heel. "I don't need your help, or whatever it is you want to give me! I can handle this just fine without getting some local law enforcement yahoo mixed up in my investigation and-"

" _Your_ investigation?!" The second man retorted with an unimpressed scoff. "Let me tell you something, Ma'am. I've got all the talents of investigating crime scenes to suit the spanish and letting you city slicker types mess with my turf without proper supervision is enough to make a man roll in his grave. You're not doin' it right, and if you won't hand over the keys like you're supposed to in these circumstances, at least let me help you out so you don't go upsettin' anybody's sensibilities! In layman's terms, you'll screw up without me helpin' out."

" _I don't screw up!"_ Ema squawked furiously. "And you've got a screw loose if you think I'm going to hand this case over to some whackadoo I don't know from a hole in the ground!"

"And just what's that supposed to mean?! Are you, by chance, insulting the nearby county's landscape?"

"What are you gonna do if I am?"

"Do you really want to find out, Ma'am?" The young man's expression darkened and he didn't look like he was bluffing. "'Cause I've arrested people for less than that-"

"Detective Skye, is there a problem?" Edgeworth interrupted. "You look rather irate."

Both Ema and the man jumped.

"Oh, sir! Thank heavens you're here!" Ema saluted and foisted one very accusing finger at the other member of the law. "You have to help me! I was almost getting somewhere with the witness, but then this jack-off of a local detective showed up and started badgering the biscuits out of everybody and the witness clammed up again. Make him go away, sir!"

"Well, I wouldn't have if somebody'd been doin' her job right and knew what a suspicious character looked like right from the off!" The young man, who apparently was a detective, folded his arms against his chest and fixed Edgeworth with a mistrustful look. "And just who might you be, sir? You must be mighty important if she thinks you can chase me away just like that."

Edgeworth quietly returned the discerning stare as he evaluated the young man in front of him. He was a tall, pale young man covered in orange freckles and was built like a popsicle stick, but the pair of light blue eyes lurking under his cerise colored hair narrowed in response to even the slightest movement and didn't miss a trick.

He had the natural instincts of a detective, that much was obvious, but if Edgeworth had to venture a guess, this young man was not much older than Prosecutor Blackquill and probably new to his rank if his clothes were any indication. His fresh navy blue detective's coat hung off him as if he was playing dress up with his father's clothes, but at least his blue three-piece seersucker suit fit him well enough to see he'd had it tailored and he'd paired it with a single gold timepiece strapped to his wrist.

Edgeworth smirked.

Well, regardless of what he was wearing or how he chose to present himself, this greenhorn had no idea with whom he was dealing, clearly.

"She gives me far too much credit." Edgeworth replied coolly. "However, it is only fitting that I introduce myself. My name is Miles Edgeworth. I am the Chief Prosecutor for the metropolitan area and I am overseeing this incident. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

The ginger detective's thin eyebrows shot upward.

"Wait, hold on. 'Mr. Edgeworth'?" Like someone had flipped a switch, all of the suspicion in the young detective's pale eyes vanished and what looked a mixture of awe, admiration and nausea swiftly took their place. "The prosecutor who passed the bar at the age of 20 and then, through a tumultuous, yet prestigious career, rose to the rank of Chief Prosecutor and singlehandedly spearheaded the revolution within the dark age of the law while swearin' to return it to its former glory where the trust of the people was restored within the legal system? _That_ Mr. Edgeworth?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say it was singlehanded, but yes, that's me." Edgeworth replied nominally. "You've heard of me, I take it?"

"Yessir. I've… I've been followin' your work ever since I was a kid, if you'll pardon me sayin' so, sir." The detective, who appeared to be in shock from unexpectedly meeting his version of a celebrity, stood up as straight as his lanky body allowed and saluted Edgeworth with every fiber of his being. "It's an honor to finally meet you, sir, and you have my sincerest apologies, I didn't realize you were the one in charge of this whole outfit. If I had, I wouldn't have nibbed in without directly comin' to you first, sir."

"Oho, looks like somebody's got another fan." Wright whispered under his breath to Maya as they both edged away from the scene so as to avoid getting hit with any friendly, or not so friendly, fire.

"Yeah, I can see that." Maya whispered back. "Shame Ema doesn't look too happy about, though."

It was common knowledge to anyone who had been within range of her for more than five minutes that when it came to the subject of hero-worshipping Edgeworth, no one was a more skilled practitioner than Ema Skye. Furthermore, if the crimson glow flaring in her cheeks, the grinding noise her teeth made as they slid tightly against each other, and the clenching motion her hands were doing all on their own were any indication of her internal emotional state, she did not like the competition.

"I see. Well, next time, I expect you do to so before barging into any potentially active crime scenes." Ignoring Ema for now, Edgeworth regarded the fresh greenhorn through narrowed eyes and folded his arms against his chest. "Anyway, since you're here, I may as well make use of you. You are a member of the local law enforcement, are you not?"

"Y-yessir." said the detective. "How might I be of service, sir?"

"You can start by telling me what is going on here." said Edgeworth. "When I heard Detective Skye was encountering problems, I, at first, believed that she had run aground of a difficult witness. Is that not the case?"

"Sort of, sir." Ema's cheek puffed out. "But it's not the witness so much as it is _this_ guy. He just waltzed into _my_ crime scene and told me that he'll take over, so I didn't need to worry about dirtying my hands with anything, and I told him it was all taken care of, but he won't listen and-"

" _I_ won't listen?!" The second detective's salute fell away and he reeled around at Ema angrily, his navy blue detective's coat swishing in the breeze. "That's rich right there. I've got every right to investigate the scene just as much as you do, Detective Skye! Besides, all I said was I'd help out if you needed any heavy lifting done around here, so you don't have to get all touchy! Man, and people wonder why chivalry is dead-"

"Don't you pull that old fashioned garbage on me! You're the one who started badgering the witness!"

"He's suspicious! Anybody looking at him right can tell he's suspicious, yet you're acting like he's totally normal! I don't know what kinda weirdo witnesses y'all run into back in the city all the time, but let me tell you a thing or two, around these parts when we see somebody that strange, that's reason for an arrest."

"That's profiling!"

"Yeah, but it works!"

" _Oh, go get a cat out of a tree!"_

" _I would, but you're not up one yet!"_

"Enough." Edgeworth held up a hand, silencing the pair of them. "Detective Skye, I expected more from you when it came to keeping a professional air in the crime scene."

Ema looked crushed.

"But, but sir-"

"Be that as it may, this crime scene has henceforth officially fallen under the metropolitan police's jurisdiction and that means Detective Skye is still in charge here, regardless of who else might appear. Would I be right in assuming you are a detective dispatched from the local precinct?"

"Yes, sir!" The second detective briskly saluted again. "Detective Justin Time at your service."

Edgeworth paused.

"Time? You wouldn't, perhaps, be a relation to Milly Time, would you?"

"You know my little sister, sir?" blinked Time.

"We met once." said Edgeworth. "Anyway, in regards to the witness, you both will stand down. I will deal with the interview myself, so that should cease any further discussions on the topic and open you both to covering other duties elsewhere."

"Well, I... alright, sir." sighed Time. "If that's what the boss says, that's what the boss says."

"Good." Edgeworth nodded in respect to Time and looked at Ema. "Detective Skye, that means you, too. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Ema deflated at him.

"Detective Skye, don't look so miserable." Edgeworth suppressed a sigh and gave her a sardonic little smile. "I have other things that are in dire need of your attention beyond that of a difficult witness."

"Sir?" Ema curiously glanced up from her shoes.

"Take this lighter fragment and get it analyzed for fingerprints. I know how much you pride yourself on your lifting abilities, so this should be quite the fun challenge for you." Edgeworth reached into his pocket, removed the evidence bag that held the melted lighter and dropped it into her hand. "Have at it."

"Yes, sir!" Ema gazed at the baggie in her hands like he'd just given her candy.

"There are also some oxygen canisters in the storage cupboard that Maya told me you and she discovered during your investigation. I want every detail about them in a report, their serial numbers, contents, conditions and technical specifications examined and documented, along with them dusted for prints and bodily fluids. Do not leave any suspicious nook and cranny unchecked. Furthermore, I want a list of all of the train personnel employed with the line, a list of pictures and dates of employment, along with any terminated employees spanning back a year."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

Edgeworth thought for a moment.

"Yes. In addition to that list, I want the registry of the entire Prosecutor's Buildings' employees, lawyers, janitors, receptionists, detectives, police officers and so on, with pictures and the lot, spanning back at least three years, five if you can manage it. There should be a registry of every hiring, firing and self termination in the archives, so I want copies of all of them. Do not fail me. I am counting on you."

"Yes, sir!" Ema crowed gratefully and she took off for the train compartment, leaving Edgeworth and the new detective alone.

"What would you have me do then, sir?" asked Detective Time, now looking just a tad wary thanks to the workload he saw unloaded on Ema. "I may just be a country detective, but I've got a job to do and I'm not leavin' just because she wants me to get outta dodge. Wouldn't be right."

"I never expected you to do so." Edgeworth replied in a polished tone and pivoted on the spot so his back was to the detective. "I have something very important for you to do, Detective Time."

"Sir?" The detective looked in the direction that Edgeworth had angled himself, one that just so happened to be in the same direction of where Maya and Wright were standing.

"I am expecting the dental results from the victim's body to arrive soon." said Edgeworth. "I need you to meet the courier and deliver the contents to me immediately upon their arrival. Afterwards, we will see if there is something that you can to- Detective Time? Are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Detective Time jumped from where he had been staring off into the distance with his mouth hung slightly agape. "Yes, sir? Sorry, sir. I was just... thinkin'."

"Thinking about what, exactly?" Edgeworth's eyebrow arched. "Is it important to your work?"

"Er... not exactly, sir." A cropping of pink dusted across Time's freckly nose.

"Then put it from your mind and listen. I shan't repeat it again. There will be a courier soon arriving with the identity of the victim from the explosion. Watch for them and deliver the contents to me when it arrives. I need them immediately upon completion."

"And... is there anything else, sir?" Detective Time didn't look too happy about being put on fetching duty, but he smartly did not say so aloud.

"I am not giving you much to do just yet." said Edgeworth stiffly. "I must see whether or not you are worth my time first."

"You mean... you're testing me, sir?"

"Yes."

"And you're letting me stay on this case? Even though I'm not a city detective like Detective Skye?"

"For now." said Edgeworth simply. "Do well and you will be allowed to stay on. Don't, and I'll rip you off this case faster than an old bandage on a wound. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Instead of being intimidated, the detective's face looked he'd been hyped up and ready for battle by a seasoned general. "I won't let you down!"

"See that you don't." Edgeworth nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes, sir! Oh, but before I go, you need to know something, sir." Time flicked his head behind him towards the other side of the umbrella. "That witness, the guy runnin' the manju stand... there's something up with him. He's just... not right, y'know? He left to go get some ingredients, so he should be back in a minute, but when he gets back, just watch yourself, sir. He makes my neck hairs all stand up on end."

"I will consider your advice." Edgeworth fired a warning look at the detective. "Now go."

"Yes, sir!" The detective saluted again. "Your witness is the man workin' the manju stand under the umbrella, so as they say, good luck, sir!"

Once the second detective took off, Edgeworth exhaled so deeply, his shoulders almost lost their definition.

Dealing with all these young people was like herding territorial alley cats.

"Mr. Edgeworth, can we come over now?" Maya called from where she and Wright still stood. "I saw Ema leave and so did the other guy, so is it safe, or should I send Nick first?"

"Maya, I am _not_ your guinea pig!"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you are."

"Yes, things have been defused somewhat. You may approach." Edgeworth beckoned them over. "Also, Wright, you are indeed her guinea pig. Don't deny it."

"Great, now you're taking _her_ side. Jeez, no tag-teaming, you guys." Wright groused as he and Maya joined Edgeworth by the stand. "So, you gave Ema something new to do, did you? What was it?"

Edgeworth quickly recounted the detective's to-do list.

"Yeesh, that's quite the workload." Wright cringed. "If she's happy that she got all that to do, just how toxic _is_ this witness?"

"I don't know for certain, but the other detective warned me that there was something amiss, so I suppose I will find out in a minute." Edgeworth glanced towards the other side of the manju stand, but he didn't catch a glimpse of any witnesses. "If all goes well, that will take the edge off Detective Skye's nerves and give her some time to cool down while I deal with the fallout."

"Well, well. It seems I'm not the only one who cares about their subordinates." Maya playfully whispered to Edgeworth. "That was nice of you."

Edgeworth snorted.

"Hmph. I am merely putting her to good use elsewhere, nothing more."

"Uh huh. Sure."

"Hey, speaking of happy looking people, I haven't seen Pearls around at all." Wright scanned the scene for a bagel hairstyle and came up wanting. "Is she okay? I hope she isn't sick or anything."

"Pearly? Come to think of it, I haven't seen her today." murmured Maya. "Not since last night."

"Nor have I." said Edgeworth.

Maya took a little gander over at the train station and her brows knitted together.

"Y'know what? I'm gonna go call her right now, just to make sure everything's okay. She's probably fine, but it never hurts to be thorough. Excuse me a minute, you guys. I'll be right back." She pulled her phone from her pocket and quickly scampered off into a nearby rain shelter.

"So, what's the plan?" Wright asked while Maya punched in the call and fidgeted with her sleeve while she waited for Pearl to pick up.

"We wait for the manju proprietor to return." Edgeworth readjusted his glasses. "He should be back presently."

"Magata-manju, huh?" Wright's stomach gurgled hopefully as he read the sign next to the unbelievably gaudy red and pink umbrella sticking out of the center of the stand. "That sounds really good. Then again, I've barely eaten anything in a day and a half, so your arm's looking pretty tasty, too."

"If you want to keep your teeth, you will leave my arm alone." said Edgeworth. "Actually, the manju here is not half bad."

"You've had some before? When?"

"Maya brought them when I was in the hospital. She said Pearl fetched them from a nearby food stand, so I gather this must have been where she had gotten them."

"Oh, I see. Hey, do you think after you're done interrogating the witness, you could confiscate some manju for me? Other than those snackoos, I'm running on empty over here."

"Wright, I'm a prosecutor, not a purveyor of snack foods. If you want some manju, go buy some yourself."

"You bought Emasnacks."

"That's because she works for me and her work results are directly connected to the sanctity of her stomach-"

"Oh. Mr. Edgeworth. Fancy seeing you here. While I was not expecting to come across you in these circumstances, I cannot say this is an unwelcome development."

Edgeworth stopped bickering with Wright. Though he couldn't quite place it at first, that voice sounded oddly familiar.

Shifting his attention towards the source of the voice, he stopped stone dead his tracks.

"Edgeworth?" Wright looked at him perplexedly and then at the newcomer to the stand. "Oh, hey, this must be the guy who saw the blast go off." He elbowed Edgeworth lightly in the ribs, but Edgeworth didn't make any show that he'd felt the impact.

He just stared at the witness like a deer in the headlights of a four wheeler, unwilling to move or even blink.

Once Edgeworth had heard that the witness to this case was being unnecessarily uncooperative, he figured it would lead him to find Wendy Oldbag waiting for him on tenterhooks. However, while he was grateful that he wasn't forced to deal with whom he first thought he would...

Things had definitely take a turn for the worse.

"Mr. Edgeworth, it has truly been too long. I hope you have fared well these past few years." The tall, thin man dressed in a plain black suit and tie underneath a brilliantly pink manju uniform coat, bowed respectfully to him. The hair perched on top of his head was starkly white, though the sides remained pitch black, and a matching black mustache sat perfectly groomed above an eternally unreadable expression, only marred by a vertical stitched scar running the length of his face. A well-maintained monocle fit into the eye socket of his left eye, and while his coat was remarkably out of place for one dressed in such a minimalist fashion otherwise, the red conch insignia on the breast of the pink coat was all too appropriate, though no one knew just how much at first glance.

Edgeworth's insides ran cold.

"Is this a friend of yours, Edgeworth?" Wright sized up the manju salesman, though he was wracked more with confusion than wariness.

"More like an acquaintance I have not seen in a very long time." Edgeworth folded his arms against his chest and eyed the man before him with a sober stare. "I never would have expected to see you here... 'Mr. Doe'."

'Mr. Doe' chuckled.

"Yes, it is truly amazing where one's life takes them and whom they might meet along the way. Speaking of which, I heard of your promotion to the position of Chief Prosecutor. You have my sincerest congratulations. They could not have chosen a more capable man."

"Thank you." Edgeworth replied stiffly. "If I might, just what are you doing here?"

"What an interesting question." Mr. Doe tilted a bag of manju back and forth in his right hand. "It is a shame the answer is not as such. I am here selling manju, for I am a simple manju salesman."

"Don't bother playing games with me." Edgeworth's tone grew terse. "That didn't fool me all those years ago with the ice cream charade and it's not going to fool me now-"

"Now, now, Mr. Chief Prosecutor." said Doe in a calm, concise tone. "I wouldn't go around spilling too many beans if I were you. Too many beans scattered along the floor is liable to cause someone to fall, if you understand my meaning."

"Ggnrk!" Edgeworth's shoulders tensed.

Unfortunately, he did understand the meaning. If he let slip who this man really was, there was likely going to be casualties.

"Edgeworth, who is this guy?" Wright hissed under his breath. "He's giving me the creeps."

"I'll tell you later." Edgeworth hissed back. "Just not here."

"So you decided to make the wise decision. I commend you for that." said 'Doe'. "Then again, since you were able to solve the murder of Rooke all those years ago, you've already proven you are a wise man. I am still indebted to you on that front, I hope you realize."

"Who?"

"Later, Wright."

"Oh, so this is Phoenix Wright." Doe turned his attention to Wright. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Mr. Lawyer. I heard you recently reattained your defense badge after the unjust disbarment was overturned. That was a most welcome piece of news. A defensive mind such as yours is wasted in any other profession."

"Uh… thank you?" Wright ran a hand through his spiky hair and grinned uncomfortably. "So, you know me, huh?"

"Quite." said Doe. "Though I see you have forgotten me, which in hindsight is probably fine. After all, I did put you in quite a precarious situation once upon a time, and while regrettable, I understand that you are quite... tenacious when it comes to grudges. On that front, we share a striking similarity."

"Why are you really here, Mr. Doe?" Edgeworth inquired succinctly. "On 'business', are we?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I am."

"What kind of business? Did it involve the train station?"

He wasn't sure what lengths this man would go to in order to fulfill his requests, but given the nature of 'Mr. Doe's' dedication to his work, Edgeworth wasn't about to rule it out as a possibility he had found his train station bomber.

"Yes, it did. I was outside the station selling manju, for I am a manju salesman."

"Hmph. Still going with that line, are you?" Edgeworth raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Yes, because it is true. I am just a simple manju salesman."

"Okay, we got that." said Wright, still watching Mr. Doe heedfully. "Where were you when the train station went up in flames?"

"I was outside the station selling manju. It was 11:15 pm when the bomb went off and I was flung along with my cart when the blast hit. I sustained little injuries, but it seems I was alone in that respect. I heard of the death on the train. It is very unfortunate that someone lost their life in such a way."

Edgeworth stifled a snort of derision. This man had no room to talk when it came to expressing sorrow at another's untimely demise.

"Did you see anyone come from the station or leave it?" asked Wright. "If somebody left before the bomb went off, they could be the culprit."

"No one came in the station or went out from there when the explosion occurred." said Doe with a small shake of his head. "The street was deserted by that time. I was closing up shop when the bomb went off."

"And you're sure of that?" pressed Edgeworth.

"I am quite sure. I would have noticed if someone had left or not. The last person I saw was around ten o'clock or thereabout. I am not one to leave anyone unnoticed, for they might wish to buy manju."

"There was another person? Who?"

"A young lady with a bagel-like hairstyle. I sold her some manju around 9:00 that night, but she did not buy them again when I saw her again at 10 pm." said Doe. "Unlike the first time, she seemed to be in a hurry. I surmised she must have been going on a trip and wished to make her train before it left."

"'Bagel-like hairstyle'? That sounds like Pearls." Wright turned to Edgeworth. "Edgeworth, did Pearls say anything about going on a trip?"

"Not within my hearing." said Edgeworth. "However, who's to say that it wasn't _you_ who set the bomb, Mr. Doe?"

Doe didn't seem remotely phased by that accusation.

"Why would I set a bomb or know the very mechanisms on how to create one in the first place?" replied Doe. "I am but a simple manju salesman. Manju is all that I know."

"You're not fooling anyone, you know. Do you have anyone to corroborate your story?"

"Only the manju." said Doe. "Also, you best hope it does. Like I said before, if beans were spilled, other things might be as well, and I dare say your hostess would be most upset if that happened."

Something wrathful and pyretic deep in the center of Edgeworth's chest roared into life, yet the rest of his body remained frozen like he was made of ice carved from a cavern in the tundra.

"You leave Miss Fey out of this." He hissed in a deadly whisper.

Doe's eyebrows lifted a millimeter.

"Hmm, it seems I struck a nerve. How interesting."

"Edgeworth, I know this guy isn't a normal manju salesman, but I don't see any holes in the testimony and he doesn't have any locks. I think he's telling the truth." Wright muttered out of the side of his mouth. "I don't suppose you can interrogate the dumplings, can you?"

"You cross-examined a parrot. Who's to say what I can and can't do?" Edgeworth murmured back, his frigid black look still focused on Doe.

"Oh, don't bring _that_ up-"

"Nick, Mr. Edgeworth! Something's wrong!" Maya came running over, her phone clutched to her chest. "I tried calling Pearly and she's not picking up. So I tried her voicemail, but her phone's shut off and the 'find my friends' app isn't working and I'm getting really worried. Pearly never shuts off her phone or ignores it, so I'm going to go look for her before- _Oh!"_

"Ah, Miss Fey." Doe bowed to Maya, though his face kept its natural neutrality as all the color seeped out of hers. "It is a pleasure to see you again. I trust you've been well."

"... I've been fine. Thank you." Maya's voice was even, but her white knuckles betrayed her. Edgeworth's glare deepened. It seemed that, unlike Wright, Maya remembered who this was absolutely perfectly.

"Mr. Doe, if I might, let's get back on topic." Edgeworth sidestepped in front of Maya so his body created a makeshift barrier between the two. "If you weren't the instigator of the bomb, then why are you here?"

"I told you. I am on business." said Doe.

"What kind of business?"

"The business kind."

"Maya, what's wrong?" Wright whispered over his shoulder as he too stepped in front of her, but on the other side. "Just who _is_ this guy?"

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Detective Time dashed towards them at top speed and skidded to a halt in front of him, a manilla envelope clutched in his hand. "I have your report from the courier just like you asked, sir. He just arrived with it not ten seconds ago."

"Good. Where is the courier now?" Edgeworth took the manilla folder and unsealed the top.

"He's over there, sir." Time pointed off towards the edge of the ticker tape. "He's getting yelled at by some old lady, something about skirting off during their search or something. He kept saying 'Sorry, Doctor', so they must be medical types of some sort. Do you know them? The old lady said she wanted to speak with you about something."

"Yes, I dare say I do." Edgeworth looked over and recognized the pair immediately. "Bring them over here, Detective."

"Sir." The detective saluted and within minutes, both people had joined the gaggle by the manju stand.

"Hi, Phil." Maya greeted with a wave, though her smile was strained.

"Heya, Mystic Maya." Phil the junior doctor saluted her with two of his fingers and did the same to Edgeworth. "Mr. Owl."

Edgeworth's eyelid twitched.

"Sorry it took so long to get the report to you guys." grinned Phil. "I had to ditch helping the doctor for a minute long enough to run that stupid thing all the way here- Oh, hey, are you the blue crested porcupine I've heard so much about?"

"... what?" Wright looked at the young doctor like he was a lunatic.

"Phil, there's a time and a place and right now is neither." Dr. Bolysm whacked Phil in the back of the arm with her walking stick. "Mr. Prosecutor, Phil just wanted to let you know the dental records came up with a match and now we have a name for the victim. Feel free to read it whenever. So, back to the point at hand, have any of you seen a young lady by the name of 'Mercy'? Phil and I are looking for her and we haven't been able to find her anywhere."

"I saw her in the manor a couple hours ago." said Maya while Edgeworth flipped open the file and began to read it. "You should try there. Oh, and I haven't been able to get a hold of Pearly either. Have you two seen her today?"

Edgeworth began perusing the records, sifting through all the medical jargon in pursuit of the name of the victim.

"Pearl? Nah, I haven't seen her all morning." said Phil thoughtfully. "The last time I saw her, she was running around the hospital last night. I said hi to her, but she didn't respond."

"Pearly didn't respond? That's funny. She always says hi when people call her name."

Finally, Edgeworth found the name.

He suddenly felt ten years older.

"I figure she must not have heard me or something. She looked like she was pretty busy carrying something heavy, so I offered to carry it for her, but she just ran off. Kinda weird, really."

'Milly Time'.

Edgeworth closed his eyes. He had a sinking suspicion it was her.

"Well, if you see her again, will you tell her to call me? I haven't seen her since last night and I'm getting really worried."

"Sure thing. I'll let her know."

"Detective Time, might I have a word with you?" Edgeworth resealed the file and handed it to Wright. "Wright, watch the witness for me. Make sure he doesn't decide to leave."

"What, I'm a guard dog now?" Wright frowned at him.

"Do it and I'll get you a biscuit."

"... it better be a big one."

"Oh, I assure you, I have no intention of going anywhere, Mr. Chief Prosecutor." said 'Mr. Doe'. "You needn't worry about that."

"Don't worry, Mr. Edgeworth. I'll watch him." Maya steeled herself and puffed out a gust of air through her nose like a bull. "If Nick fails, I'll do something about it. Don't you worry. I can handle this."

"Very well." nodded Edgeworth; he could see Maya was attempting to conquer her innate fear. "Now, Detective Time, might I have a word with-"

"Hey, what's this Mercy gal look like?" Detective Time's light blue eyes focused on something off in the distance. "She one of them mediums? Wears a weird channeling getup? Kinda plain? Built like a ball?"

"Yes, that's her." said Dr. Bolysm with a succinct nod. "Why?"

Time gestured to where he was staring with his index finger.

"Is that who you mean, Ma'am?"

Every eyeball in the area swung around to where the detective was pointing.

In the distance, running at an impressive speed for someone of her stature, was a crying hysterical woman, waving her hands and looking thoroughly distraught.

"Help! Please help!" Mercy cried at the top of her lungs as she charged straight for the police tape. _"Something's happened in the manor!"_

"What?!" Forgetting her promise to watch the witness, Maya ran to meet her halfway and caught her in a hug before she collapsed onto the pavement. "What's going on, Mercy?! What's wrong?!"

"Oh, Mystic Maya! It-it's awful!" Mercy sobbed in Maya's robes, absolutely beside herself. "It's the manor, something's happened and- it's Mrs. Voyant, she's- and Pearl is- Pearl is- _Please, you have to help!"_

" _Pearl?!"_ Phil's lackadaisical manner dropped like a rock and he took off like a shot towards the manor.

"Pearls' in trouble?!" demanded Wright. "What's going on here?!"

"I-in the chamber... there's.. there's..." Mercy gulped back some tears. "There's... there's blood everywhere..."

"B-blood?" All of Maya's drained out of her face.

"There's not a moment to lose! Quickly, after him!" Edgeworth took off running after the junior doctor's dust trails.

"You're not going anywhere without me, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya shouted and transferred Mercy to Wright's care. "Nick, keep an eye on her for me, I'm counting on you!"

"But Maya, I-" Mercy latched her fingers onto Wright's coat, crying even harder than before, and Maya sprinted away just as quickly as Edgeworth had in an effort to catch up with him.

"Apologies, but I have no intention of letting you out of my sight." Doe took off after them as well.

"I still wish to talk to Mercy, but as she is in no condition, that will have to wait." sighed Dr. Bolysm and she too followed in their wake.

"Welp, I'm not just going to sit around here on my thumbs waitin' for the rain to show up and water the grass." Detective Time puffed out his skinny chest resolutely and he took off as well, leaving Wright alone with a sobbing, hysterical acolyte getting his suit soaked in the middle of a crime scene.

Wright sighed.

"I should've stayed at the office." He muttered and lightly patted Mercy's shoulder.

* * *

Without bothering to obey entrance rules, Edgeworth dashed through the manor and came to a screeching halt right outside Mrs. Voyant's doors, both of which had been swung wide open without care. His pulse screamed in his ears as blood spiked with adrenaline coursed through his veins, and his breath was so hot and strained from running so quickly on such short notice, he had to take a minor reprieve in the hall lest he pass out from oxygen deprivation again.

It was at that point, however, Maya finally caught up with him, only she didn't know it, and she promptly barreled into his back with all of her weight behind her.

" _M-maya?!"_ Edgeworth gasped for air and attempted to stabilize himself since the impact of the collision had almost knocked him off his feet. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"Chasing... after you, what's it... look like?!" Maya's fingers buried themselves in the fabric of his coat as she clung to his back and breathed heavily into it. "Woof, I need to work out more."

"Where's... where's everyone else?" Edgeworth had expected an entourage right at her heels, but found there was none.

"They'll... they'll catch up." Maya gulped in more air and began to catch her breath. "They were right behind me last I checked, but... I think I might've lost them. As for Nick, I left Mercy with him, so... she'll be okay, I think. Any sign of... Phil or Pearly?"

"Not as such. I haven't... gotten into Mrs. Voyant's chamber yet." Edgeworth tried steadying his own breathing and focused on the open doorway in front of him. "Maya, I know… you are not new to these sorts of situations, but we don't know what we might find upon going inside. So, be careful."

"I know." Maya drew in a deep breath and let it slowly. "Let's go."

Taking care to step quietly, Edgeworth and Maya walked into the dark room and the doors swung shut behind them so only a tiny sliver of light could be seen through the cracks in the frame.

"Stay close." He whispered as they made their way further inside. "We don't know what the situation is yet, so don't stray far from me."

"You don't need to tell me twice." Maya dug her fingers onto the fabric of his coat sleeve and held fast. "Do you see anything?"

"No." Edgeworth scanned the room for any signs of blood like Mercy had described, but the room where he had spoken to Mrs. Voyant was untouched. The only change at all that he could see was the chest from which he had retrieved the journal wasn't in the corner anymore.

Mrs. Voyant wasn't present either, but the door behind where she had been sitting that had initially caught his interest when he'd arrived for his interview was now open.

"Maya, where does that door lead?" Edgeworth pointed to the door and slowly approached it.

"I'm not sure." said Maya in a hush. "I've never been down there myself. These are Mrs. Voyant's chambers. No matter the rank, we don't just go waltzing about in a place like this without her express permiss- _Mr. Edgeworth, watch out!"_

 _"Nngghoo!"_ Maya pulled his arm back with a mighty tug and he almost fell back into her. "Maya, what's gotten into you?!"

"You almost fell down the stairs!" Maya cried, still latched onto his arm like she was a barnacle and he, a pier.

" _What_ stairs?!" He demanded hotly.

"Those stairs!" Maya thrust one finger through the doorway where he had attempted to go. "You almost took a header down them, but I pulled you back at the last minute. What, you didn't see them?!"

"How could I see them?! Other than the light by the door, it's pitch black in here."

"No, it's not. There's a light coming from down there. I can see it."

"There is?" Edgeworth searched the darkness, but he didn't see any light at all.

All he could see was black.

"Yeah, it's coming from down there." Maya indicated the open doorway with the magatama painted on it. "It's down the staircase and off a bit to the left, but I can see a sickly green light flickering against the far wall. It's kinda creepy."

"I can't see anything of the sort." Edgeworth squinted into the darkness.

Maya stared at him, her mouth slightly ajar.

"You... really can't see it?" Her brows hoisted upwards and she rolled up a sleeve. "Ohh, I get it. Hold on." Maya let go of his sleeve, placed one hand on his chest where the magatama hung beneath his shirt, moved the other on top of her own magatama, and muttered something under her breath.

"What are you doing?" Edgeworth winced as the magatama underneath his shirt flashed bright blue in tandem with Maya's own and stung his ill-adjusted eyes.

"Giving you a boost." said Maya. "Can you see the light now?"

Edgeworth peered inside the doorway and found that yes, he could indeed see a light coming from within. He could also see the wrought iron spiral staircase that he'd almost fallen through had Maya not pulled him back at the last minute.

"Is that it?" His eyes narrowed in on the source of the light; it danced along the far wall like a flame from a match.

"Yes, that's it." Maya removed her hand from his chest and replaced it on his coat sleeve. "Watch your step this time."

"Why couldn't I see the light before?" Edgeworth asked as they crept down the stairs of the spiral staircase that plunged into the darkness below.

"The light's probably coming from a channeling candle." said Maya, her hold on his coat as tight as a vice. "They're special, so not everybody can see them. We keep them around as the only source of light in certain rooms just on the off chance somebody outside the clan tried sneaking in and stealing a valuable artifact or three. Kinda makes me wonder what's down here that'd be so important they'd take such steps to protect it."

"If that's the case, then why can I see it now? I couldn't a minute ago."

"That's because I infused you with some of my spiritual power. You'd have never seen where you were going otherwise." Maya replied shortly. "You need spiritual power to see a flame from a channeling candle, and I hate to break it to you, Mr. Edgeworth, but you're what we in the spiritual biz call a 'null'. Don't worry, you're only borrowing it. It'll wear off in a while."

They stepped off the staircase onto a hard wooden floor and, across the length of the large room they'd entered, Edgeworth could see a solitary candle flickering its green flame by an even greater door than the one they first came through. This mountainous door was expertly carved with extensive flowered motifs and what looked like an inlaid mural depicting some event or another on the outlying walls, but it was impossible to make out what it was, even with the candlelight to guide him. However, by far the most striking thing about the door was how the majority of its surface was covered in ancient warding paper charms.

Dozens of streamers attached to the charms snaked away from the door and towards the ceiling in an arc, clustered in a concentration and hung downwards in the center of the room like a chandelier, but instead of simply hanging loosely, all of them were wrapped tightly around what looked like a rusted old broadsword in a chipped pedestal that had clearly not seen use in ages.

Edgeworth's eyebrows creased.

"Maya... just what _is_ this room?" He looked down to her for an explanation, but Maya didn't match his gaze.

"Mr. Edgeworth..." She held out one shaky finger in front of her. "Who... who's that on the floor?"

Reflected in the shadows of the candle's glow a ways away from the sword's pedestal were three figures, two inert and unmoving on the floor, and one frantically attempting to rouse one of the first two with everything it had.

The figure moving about was Phil, the junior doctor.

However, lying underneath his frantic movements in a small pool of blood forming around the crown of her head was Pearl Fey, lifeless and limp as a rag doll thrown by a toddler.

" _Pearly!"_ Maya charged forwards, but Edgeworth quickly seized her torso and held her back. "Pearly-"

" _Stay back!"_ Phil's yellow eyes dangerously flashed through the darkness at them. "Stay back, both of you! Don't touch anything and especially don't touch the streamers!"

Maya's attempts to break out of Edgeworth's hold halted instantly, and he suddenly found she was actually more clinging _to_ him rather than pushing him away.

"Pearl, Pearl, can you hear me?" Phil cupped Pearl's cheek in his hand and held the bleeding from her head with the other in an effort to stop the outpour. "If you can hear me, stay with me, Pearl!"

"Phil, what's happened to her?!" Maya may have ceased her attempts to break away from Edgeworth's grip, but that didn't mean she wasn't any less desperate to get to her cousin. "What's wrong with Pearly?!"

"She's been struck on the head and is bleeding heavily." Phil stuck an ear onto Pearls' chest and listened. "She's still got a heartbeat, though- I can still save this one!"

Edgeworth's blood ran cold.

"... Mystic... Maya?" Pearl blinked her eyes slowly in a haze; she was obviously suffering from a concussion. "Is that... you? Where... am I? What happened? My... head hurts..."

" _Get out of my way!"_ Phil scooped Pearl's limp body up in his arms and dashed for the spiral staircase, taking the stairs two at a time. "Pearl! Pearl, listen to me. You've got to stay with me, alright? Keep your eyes open and don't go to sleep. Just stay with me. You have to stay awake!"

"P... pearly..." Maya weakly watched her beloved cousin being taken away, unable to do anything other than allow Edgeworth to move them both out of the way. "Why? Why was Pearly-"

"I don't know." Edgeworth let her go and carefully approached the second figure on the floor, the one that Phil hadn't been able to save.

His breath hitched.

Lying in a crumpled heap on the wooden floor in a pool of her own blood was the body of Mrs. Voyant.

She was dead.

"Mrs... Mrs. Voyant..."

Maya's knees gave out and she sank to the floor.

"Miss Fe-" Edgeworth knelt down on one knee and put a hand on her shoulder. "Maya, are you alright?"

"... this is my fault." A single solitary tear ran down her cheek as she stared blankly at the scene in front of her. "This is all my fault."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"How is this _your_ fault?" His grip on her shoulder tightened.

Another tear slid down Maya's cheek.

"I... I got it wrong."

* * *

(A/N- O.O Wow, you guys, I'm literally gobsmacked by the level of feedback, support and praise I've been getting lately on this platform and my Ao3 account. Thank you all so much! I'd initially planned on updating earlier, but between birthdays, cleaning, the stuffy humid air and a slew of horrendous headaches due to the changing weather pressure that made it so I couldn't read, let alone edit, I just couldn't get it prepped in time. Gah, I can't stand summer, it's way too hot for my taste. Anyway, I'm just happy I could get this up and running when I did. This last chapter ended up being my longest one to date, well over 13,000 words, so it took a while. I normally try to keep things within a certain word margin, but I just couldn't cap the length of this one because of there being so much I needed to include. So it ended up taking a lot longer to tackle this properly than I first expected. I regret nothing, however.

In any case, thank you for reading and please review! :D)


	10. Symbiosis

Chapter Ten: Symbiosis

"So the old lady you interviewed earlier was the one who got murdered?" Wright asked as he and Edgeworth watched a pair of coroners carry out the second body bag of the day. "And she rhymed at you?"

"Yes." Edgeworth idly glanced at the procession as it passed by him in the manor's entrance hall. "During the time between when I spoke to her and returning to the manner, she ran afoul of someone with ill intent."

"You didn't do it, did you?"

Edgeworth flattened Wright's inquisition with a positively poisonous glare.

"Hey, I know how you are around limericks. It's a fair question." said Wright. "Do you think it was that client she said she was going to meet with who did her in?"

"I can't say at this point who it might or might not have been." Edgeworth folded his arms against his chest. "All I know was that upon my departure, Mrs. Voyant was still alive. Other than that, I am in the dark about this just as much as you are."

"Hm. It seems we're faced with quite the conundrum, then." Wright rested his chin in the crux of his thumb and forefinger. "Are there any cameras or CCTV in there?"

"No. According to the good doctor, nothing of the sort is allowed in a spirit channeling room. Too many paparazzi have tried to steal the footage for their articles, so the Synod banned their use entirely."

"Oh. Well, crud." Wright chewed on his cheek. "I suppose it can never be easy, huh? How's Maya doing? Is she alright?"

"I sent her to get some air." said Edgeworth. "She should be out in the garden if you wish to speak with her."

"Right, I think I'll do that." Wright ran a hand through his hair. "I want to make sure she's okay."

"A commendable aim." Edgeworth nodded. "Speaking of which, Wright, where is the young lady that Maya asked you to take care of?"

"Mercy? She's in the infirmary. All the stress took it's toll on her and she passed out. The EMTs said it was just a case of nerves, so she should be alright with some rest."

"Did she say anything to you before she succumbed?"

"Not really." Wright closed his eyes as he recalled the events of earlier. "She mentioned something about an ark, but nothing to do with anything she saw in the chamber. I think she was in shock. I also couldn't really hear her all that well because she was mumbling and murmuring into my suit coat before she passed out."

"Yes, I can see she was ardently clinging to you." Edgeworth pulled a light brown hair off Wright's lapel and tossed it aside. "Anyway, thank you for telling me, Wright. If you wish to speak to Maya, now is a good time. I'm needed elsewhere."

Ema had just come out of the hallway leading to Mrs. Voyant's chamber looking especially glum, closely followed by the entire forensic team.

Edgeworth's eyebrow arched.

Why was the whole team out here when there was an active crime scene to investigate?

"Glad to see you're dismissing me, sir." Wright scoffed sarcastically, but he broke into a wide grin, anyway. "Welp, here I go. Wish me luck."

He might've looked perky, Edgeworth thought as he bid him farewell, but he knew better to believe his mien was genuine. Wright only ever employed that smile when his back was flush against the wall and he was desperate to turn the situation around, be it with his cases, his interpersonal relationships, or, in this instance, Maya's mood.

"Detective Skye." Edgeworth bowed to her in greeting after Wright departed for the garden. "What have you gleaned from the scene?"

"Not a thing, sir." Ema replied with a huff as the rest of the team passed them by. "The head doctor, Dr. Bolysm, chased us out and banned anyone from entering the room until Maya's back."

"What?!" Edgeworth drew back, thunderstruck. "Whatever for?!"

"I dunno, sir." said Ema. "Everything was fine until she spotted the pools of blood where the victims had been discovered. Once she did, she ordered everyone out immediately and closed off the area."

"Did she say why?" Edgeworth's brow furrowed.

"Nope. All she said was only those possessing the blessing of the master will be allowed to tread on such dangerously sacred ground. Basically, we can't examine the crime scene without Maya's say so and that's only if she accompanies us the entire time we're in there."

"Have you tried reasoning with her?"

"Yeah, but that was a bust. The old doctor won't budge on the subject and she won't budge from her spot in front of the door, either. She said 'it was too dangerous to let us rummaging ruffians near the seal now that there was blood spilled, or else we might let loose something we can't put back'."

Edgeworth snorted.

More religious ridiculousness was at work here, he suspected.

"Have you simply tried moving her?" Edgeworth suggested. "She's not a particularly large woman."

"Yeah, one officer tried that. He's got an egg on his head now from where she clonked him with her walking stick." Ema's cheek puffed out. "I thought about arresting her for assaulting an officer, but nobody wanted to get close enough to actually do it. She's scary."

"Did the body at least get removed?" If it hadn't, he was awfully curious what was inside the body bag he'd just seen go by.

"Yeah, the body's out, but that's as far as we got." said Ema. "The doctor was hovering over us the entire time when we were removing the corpse and outlining the body with tape. Taking pictures of the scene was even worse. We could barely see anything, even with our flashlights, and when one guy got too close to a streamer attached to that rusted out old sword, she snagged him by the ear and hauled him out, ranting at him the whole way about 'getting a shoe with his name on it'. When she came back, that's when she saw the blood near the sword. She threw us out after that. Said it was too hazardous."

"What became of the unfortunate forensic specialist?" Edgeworth asked with a slightly morbid curiosity.

"I didn't ask and I don't want to know, but I saw him wincing and rubbing his backside a minute ago, so I can only assume she meant what she said about the shoe. So, we have some pictures of the scene being developed and the body's been outlined, but until we can get back inside that room and the autopsy report comes back, there's nothing else we can do."

"Mm, so that's how it is, then." Edgeworth murmured to himself more than to Ema. "Very well. I suppose that means I have no choice but to speak with Maya about this. In the meantime, I still need all those reports I asked you to deliver."

"They're in transit as we speak, sir." said Ema promptly. "I, um… also feel really bad about bugging Maya right now, but the old broad won't budge without her. Literally. And, by the way, how can something be sacred _and_ dangerous at the same time?! That doesn't make _any_ sense-"

"I think you'll find, Detective Skye, that the Feys are a remarkable convoluted bunch and very little they do makes any sense." said Edgeworth. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Miss Fey." He pivoted on the spot and began walking towards the garden, but halfway down the corridor, his pace halted and he turned back again.

"Has there been any word about Pearl's condition?" He inquired quietly.

"Yes, sir. I just got a call from the hospital. It turns out Pearl wasn't nearly in as bad a shape as that junior doctor first thought. There was blunt force trauma to her head, but it's only a concussion, not a contusion. She's got a nasty laceration on the back of her head, but other than some stitches, she should be fine."

"Good." said Edgeworth. "What about the witness from the train station? Is a task force watching him, or has he given you the slip?"

"The manju salesman? Oh, he didn't go anywhere. He's just moved his cart to the side of the manor and set up shop there instead. It was a good thing, too. Some of the officers were getting hungry."

Edgeworth's eyebrows got lost in his hairline.

"Are you serious?" Of all the people he had expected to stick around after the commotion at the train station, 'Mr Doe' hadn't been one of them.

"Yes, sir. The officers have been working for ages with little rest, so a food cart showing up was a welcome sight, let me tell you."

"... I see. Well, just... just keep an eye on him, Detective." Edgeworth cleared his throat and regained his sense of professional conduct from where it had been a minute ago; out the window. "I haven't completed my interrogation of him yet."

"Will do, sir. Don't worry, the police have him surrounded, mostly because they're waiting their turn to order." Ema reached into her evidence bag and retrieved a small white paper baggie filled with pastries. "The manju's pretty good, by the way. Do you want one?"

"I'm fine, thank you. What about the other detective? Has he been told about the victim's identity from the train explosion?"

"Detective Time? Yeah… he found out." Ema droopily stuffed a manju into her mouth. "He snatched the report out of Mr. Wright's hands when he heard him reading it under his breath- he's got amazing hearing- and when he saw who it was that had passed away on the train, I thought all his freckles were going to faint. He hasn't said a word since."

"I thought as much. That is unfortunate."

"He's trying to keep a brave face about all this, but I saw him break down crying behind a tree about twenty minutes ago." Ema sighed tiredly and munched on her manju. "I don't like the guy, but nobody deserves to find out what happened to their sister like that. I actually feel kind of bad for him. Not enough to let him near my crime scene, but y'know. Bad enough."

"Well, he can't go near there now. He's a person of interest, and people of interest can't be involved with crime scenes." Edgeworth adjusted his glasses. "Standard policy."

"What about Maya?"

"... It's complicated. Anyway, well done, detective. Go enjoy your manju and let me know when those reports I asked you for are completed."

"Thank you, sir." Ema smiled, but it was a forced one. "I'll let you know when the autopsy report shows up along with the other ones."

"Excellent." said Edgeworth. "Oh, and Detective Skye, before you go, I need you to do something else for me."

"Anything, sir."

"Will you see to it that there is an interview room set up inside the manor? I need to interrogate everyone involved with this case and I would prefer to do it in a closed setting."

"Absolutely, sir." Ema saluted one more time and swiftly walked down the hallway into the front room to set up arrangements.

With that taken care of, Edgeworth removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. His headache was back with a vengeance and, unfortunately, no matter how much he attempted to recreate the motions Maya employed earlier, it just wasn't as soothing.

Maya.

Edgeworth spared the corridor leading to the garden another dismal glance. He didn't particularly wish to badger her, but in order to find the truth, his preferences were of little consequence.

Well… he wasn't going to get anywhere just standing there.

So, keeping that in mind, he strode down the corridor, pulled back the sliding door, and entered the winding way.

Curled up into a ball on the footpath that led out into the garden with her arms over her knees and her head in her arms was Maya. Wright sat next to her, patting her on the shoulder, but if the sniffling Edgeworth could hear coming from their direction was anything to go by, his efforts weren't that effective.

"Wright."

"Huh?" Wright looked up and saw Edgeworth standing near the doorway. "Hey, Edgeworth. How's the crime scene?"

"I wouldn't know." Edgeworth stepped into the way and shut the door behind him. "The forensics team has been evicted from the crime scene by Dr. Bolysm until the master is present to oversee the investigation. We are essentially up a creek in a leaking canoe and I am currently in search of the paddle."

"This paddle right here? Sorry, this paddle's a puddle." said Wright. "Go get a pedalo."

"Wright, be serious. This is no time for pedalo jokes-"

"… What's a pedalo?" asked Maya from inside her sleeve.

"It's a funky name for a paddleboat." said Wright. "We don't have many of them around here, but I tried one when I went to Europe. It was in the shape of a swan. It's a lot of fun, Maya. Do you want to try it later?"

"Only if you're the one who pedals." Maya sniffed inside her sleeve miserably. "I don't like wet feet."

"You don't, huh? Hang on... you're not getting 'cold feet' about going on a pedalo, are you?"

"Oh my god, Nick." Maya groaned into her knees.

Wright grinned impishly.

"C'mon Maya, don't 'swan' off on me now. That wouldn't be very 'ice' of you."

"Nick, no. Argh... your dad jokes. They burn."

In spite of herself, Maya was chuckling a little.

"Oh, how 'thaw'tful of you to ask so 'ice'ly." Nick's grin widened. "Edgeworth should really take a 'chill' pill, huh? Should he 'snow' away?"

"Wright, don't involve me in your horrific puns." said Edgeworth.

"What, you don't like my 'fridge' humor? Don't be so 'frosty'."

"Wright, if you are quite finished, I need to have a word with Miss Fey." Edgeworth rolled his eyes. "You seem to have broken the ice well enough, so if you would-"

An enormous grin spread across Wright's face.

"Edgeworth... did you just make a pun?"

Edgeworth went pink.

" _What, I-_ N-no, of course I didn't-"

"Edgeworth, you just made a pun. I'm so proud. Wait until Trucy hears about this. Don't worry, Edgeworth. Nobody's going to 'pun-ish' you for finally growing a sense of humor-"

"Wright, if you want that same courtesy extended to you and decide to grow a sense of self preservation, you will go do something else that doesn't involve being right here, right now." The pink color in Edgeworth's cheeks rose to a warning shade of scarlet. "I need to speak with Miss Fey."

"Go ahead, speak away. I'm not stopping you."

" _Alone."_

"What?! Oh, come on. It's just me and it's not like we're on opposite sides of the proceedings. You can say what you want with me in the room just fine-"

"It's okay, Nick." Maya looked up from the crook of her arm and tugged at his sleeve. "I can handle it. You go get some food or something. You hadn't eaten at all, right? I don't want you getting sick or anything, so… go get food. I'll be okay."

Wright's stomach seconded that idea with a gurgle.

"Well... okay. If you're sure you'll be alright talking with Mr. Stodgy Skeptic on your own, I'll go." The humorous tone Wright had been using faded away and he patted Maya's shoulder. "Just don't say anything that could get you arrested, okay?"

"No promises." Maya smiled weakly. "Getting arrested's kinda my thing."

"Heh, it _is_ that." Wright offered her a faint smile of his own and got back to his feet. "Well, I guess I'll, uh, vamoose, and and leave you two to it."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Nick." Maya curled herself into an even tighter ball. "Sorry it didn't work that well."

"Any time, Maya." Wright smiled at her one last time and turned to Edgeworth. "She's all yours, Edgeworth. Just don't make her cry. I worked hard for that smile."

"Contrary to popular belief, my main goal in life isn't to make people miserable." Edgeworth sniped back, but they both understood what Wright had meant.

'Good luck'.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya asked once Wright left the garden, though she didn't bother looking at him. "I'm guessing something's come up."

"Yes. Dr. Bolysm is refusing to allow us entry into the crime scene." said Edgeworth. "She did not explain why, but she has decreed that it is too dangerous without the master present and she's kicked the forensics team out of the room until you arrive. We can't get past her."

"Oh." Maya rested her chin on top of her arms. "I see. I'll... be there soon, then. I just need some more time to... to compose myself."

"Unfortunately, of that we are in little supply-" Edgeworth stopped when he noticed Maya was shivering.

"I know, I know. We don't have a lot of time." Maya dropped her head back into her arms and burrowed herself deeper into a ball. "I'm trying to... pull myself together. It's just... taking longer than I thought it would. So, is there anything else, or can I be left to wallow for a bit?"

Edgeworth's forehead furrows deepened as he assessed the situation from his spot in the winding way.

Maya was very much in distress, that was obvious, but the more he thought about it, the more Edgeworth realized he genuinely did not know what to do in order to make her feel better.

Although he'd been witness to many a crime scene in his day, he wasn't the sort of man who was well versed in tackling the emotional fallout that happened afterwards with other witnesses; that wasn't in his purview. He was a man of the law, not a man of... whatever this was.

So what was he supposed to do?

He didn't have many reference points when it came to comforting those in emotional distress. He was fantastic at _making_ them distressed so they would slip up in testimonies, but when it came to assuaging them, he was a neophyte of the highest order.

What was the right thing to do, then? Should he leave her alone? That sounded like an amenable idea to him, but it contradicted what she said earlier about not wanting to be alone when upset. So, should he stay, then? He would if that was what the situation called for, but she didn't seem to be all that keen on conversation and she had curled herself away from the world, so it looked to him like she was attempting to shut herself off.

Nngh.

Wait.

He _did_ have a reference point.

In the deep recesses of his memory, Edgeworth vaguely remembered a time when he'd stopped by his father's office after school one day and saw his father handling the woes and whims of one of his clients, a young woman if he remembered correctly. She was upset about something, Edgeworth couldn't remember why, nor did he particularly care, but he remembered his father had gotten her to stop being upset and he'd been very good at it.

So...

What would his father have done had he been faced with this situation?

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya lifted her head again and gazed at him with watery, red-rimmed eyes. "Is something wrong? You're staring at me."

"Nothing's wrong." Edgeworth's attention honed in on her and he readjusted his glasses; okay, he could do this. "I was just merely... curious."

"Curious? What about?"

"I was curious about... how you were faring." Edgeworth slowly approached her like one would a spooked doe and took a seat next to her on the wooden footpath. "So... how are you doing?"

"Well, I tried preventing a murder and I ended up with three." Maya sniffed again and stared out into the lush greenery of the garden. "So, as for how I'm feeling, pretty lousy, if I'm honest."

"Here." Edgeworth took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. "You're shivering. This will help."

Please, _please_ let it help.

Maya glanced at the coat around her shoulders and sniffed a third time.

"Thank you."

Edgeworth let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Alright. So far, so good.

"Maya, you were also wrong in your last statement."

Maya peered up at him curiously from underneath the coat which hung on her petite frame like an empty burgundy sack of feed corn on a scarecrow.

"The 'thank you'? No, I'm pretty sure I meant that."

"No, not that. Three. You said three, but that was wrong. It's two." said Edgeworth. "I heard from the detective who had just spoken with the hospital. Pearl is suffering from a concussion and a laceration on her head, but the doctor is certain she will pull through with little issue. So, it isn't three. It's two."

Though two murders were certainly nothing to dismiss, it was better than three.

"You… you mean Pearly's okay?" Maya's face was awash with a mixture of desperate hopefulness and a reluctance to believe for fear of it being too good to be true. "She'll be alright? Really?"

"Yes, she should be fine." A small smile ghosted about his face. "You have nothing to fear on that respect."

"That's..." Maya's chin drooped back onto her arms as her body's tension uncoiled. "That's wonderful. Thank you."

"You needn't thank me." said Edgeworth. "You simply needed to know."

"Yeah... I just... I just wish that were the case for everything else, too." Maya buried her face in her arms. "This is all my fault."

Edgeworth frowned.

"How is it your fault? You did nothing of the sort to instigate any of these actions, did you?"

"No, but-" Maya lifted her head out of her arms again and unfolded herself from her ball. "I was just so certain I knew what Mrs. Voyant was talkingabout, but I was blind. Stupid and arrogant and blind. I missed the mark completely. I wasn't even in the right sports stadium, let alone the same ballpark."

Edgeworth's brow furrowed deeper against his eyes and his mouth set into a thin line.

"I just... I thought that I could-" Maya looked like she was struggling to find the right words. "I thought I could handle this. As the master, the welfare of everyone who comes into this village falls under my responsibility. It's my job to protect them and everybody else I care about, so I... I thought I could do something about this, to make sure it didn't happen. I thought I could save... who I thought the victim was going to be."

"Maya."

"That's why I did all I did, dragging you here, lying, begging you for help, all that. I even did things I shouldn't have done, things I didn't _want_ to do, but... I was so blind that I never thought for a minute that I might've been wrong. I never once thought I'd gotten it wrong, not with what she said to me, not with _how_ she said it. I _knew_ it had to be... I knew it had to be who I thought it was, but I didn't know _anything_. I got it wrong. And, even if I didn't get it wrong, other people died anyway because I was so focused on that one person, I never thought to safeguard anyone else. I'm an idiot. An incompetent fool. A foolish fool, even."

"Maya, listen to me." said Edgeworth.

"I let a murderer slip by me and now Pearly's in the hospital and Mrs. Voyant's dead, not to mention that poor woman on the train. I failed. I'm a failure." Maya's shoulders sank into her chest. "What kind of master lets this happen?"

"Maya, this wasn't your doing, so stop saying-"

"What kind of master fails her villagers like this? What kind of master allows her cousin to get hurt? What kind of master lets people die?!" A few tears careened down her face. "I should've done better. I shouldn't have let myself get so myopic. I should've done more, I should've told-"

" _Maya, stop this self flagellation at once!"_

" _Eek!"_ Maya jumped when Edgeworth struck the wooden way underneath them like he'd made an objection with the palm of his hand. "Wh-what was that for?!"

"To make you cease your belaboring castigation of yourself before you whip yourself to flinders, that's what!" Edgeworth snapped. "Maya, what you should or shouldn't have done is irrelevant. Your wish to keep everyone safe is admirable and you should not hate yourself for wanting to protect them. However, what you need to get through your head is that just because you might want to take care of your subordinates, that doesn't mean sometimes bad things don't happen to, and as a result of, your subordinates. That is not something you can prevent, nor is it something that you are expected to, because to expect that of someone is to expect the impossible."

"To expect that of yourself is a foolhardy and asinine method of thinking and you need to drop it immediately lest you get yourself hurt. In order to be an effective leader, you must realize there is an area that you are not capable of influencing, the actions of others. So, drop this puppeteer charade of yours and face the facts. You are not a god, nor are you a psychic capable of seeing into the future. You are a young woman with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, coping as best she can, all the while taking care of a bunch of whirling dervishes who, frankly, are magnets for nothing but trouble on a good day. No one will blame you for any of this and they're not going to, either. Flaying yourself will get you nowhere and all it's doing right now is making my hair hurt, so knock it off and stop punishing yourself for a matter that is not of your own making!"

Breathing heavily because he'd run out of air about halfway through his rant, Edgeworth took a moment to focus on Maya more clearly again and as soon as he did, he instantly felt awkward. Silent as the grave, Maya kept her gaze locked on him and she didn't say a word, but her mouth was hung open in shock.

Cringing a little on the inside, Edgeworth took a deep breath to calm himself and peered upwards into the greying sky, utterly annoyed with himself for getting so worked up over something so trivial.

"... Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Yes?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "What?"

Maya stared down at her feet.

" _I_ blame me for it, though."

Edgeworth sighed tiredly.

She hadn't heard him at all, had she?

"Yes, I suppose you do." He retrieved his handkerchief from his coat pocket and offered it to her. "It's pointless to do so, however. Here."

"Thanks." Maya took the handkerchief from him and dabbed at her eyes. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever seen you get like that, Mr. Edgeworth."

"Like what?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. He'd yelled at people before. Surely she didn't mean the dressing down he'd given her because she was flogging herself to death. He'd never yelled at her before, he didn't think, but that was only because he reserved his yelling mostly for Wright when she was in court alongside him.

"All passionate about what you were saying about something other than lawyering, I guess." Maya rubbed her nose with the kerchief and chuckled a little, in spite of the circumstances.

Edgeworth blinked.

Passionate?

 _Him?_

He snorted and resumed his sky watching.

"Do... do you have any experience with this sort of thing?"

"Not this exactly, but something akin to it, I suppose."

"Like what?" Maya scooted a little closer, despite the fact he'd just scolded her into next week.

"When I became the Chief Prosecutor, with the exception of Klavier Gavin, Simon Blackquill and Sebastian Debeste, I purged the entire Prosecutors' Office of all its prosecuting attorneys. Nahyuta Sahdmadhi was merely on call from the Kingdom of Khura'in, but don't think I was dragging him back and forth between countries merely for the amusement alone. We were that short on hands."

"What about Franziska?"

"She's in league with Interpol now. She's decided to do something more up to her speed. I don't think she ever truly got over her defeat at Wright's hand, so it's probably for the best she's not prosecuting domestic cases regularly anymore."

"Is she going to whip them into shape?" Maya asked a little puckishly.

"Figuratively and literally." Another little smile ghosted across his face, but it quickly fell away. "Anyway, there was an incident where several prosecutors were less than willing to leave their position upon my termination of their services. They had enjoyed a wealth of power up until that point and weren't so keen to give it up without a fight. One in particular made quite the nasty scene in front of the Prosecutors' Office. He kept insisting he wasn't the one who committed the crime of purposefully convicting innocent men and throwing out guilty cases in order to profit off of a gambling ring he had orchestrated and operated within the courthouse."

"He was throwing trials so he could get money off of them?" Maya gasped in horror. "That's horrible!"

"Yes, the dark age of the law has many facets of how it operates its' dirty tricks. He was rigging the legal battles to win or lose as he saw fit so the gambling ring he was a part of could profit hand over fist. I exposed his wrongdoings and saw to it that not only was he fired, he was arrested for it."

"What happened?" asked Maya.

"He put up a fight and had to be dragged from the building. He was in quite the apoplectic rage. He even threatened me."

"That must've been really scary." Maya gripped the coat around her shoulders tightly.

"It was for the security team. He was a former olympian, so wrestling him away from the building was no mere feat. Still, he maintained his innocence even as he was dragged away by police. He claimed he was framed for it, but I wasn't fooled. I knew he was guilty, I had the proof. I was even going to see to it personally that he was convicted for it. However, later that day, he died while in police custody after one of the inmates he wrongfully convicted attacked him; _that_ man had been innocent all along and the prosecutor knew that before the trial happened and did nothing, which is just reprehensible. Now, do you think I should blame myself for that? For his actions or his death?"

"No." said Maya. "You didn't do it. You didn't have a gambling ring. You didn't do what caused the whole thing. You're not a criminal."

"Exactly." said Edgeworth. "That is why I do not. In order to accept certain aspects of leadership, it is imperative to recognize what faults are yours and what faults are those of the people under you. You cannot shoulder the world's problems, you know."

"No... I _don't_ know." Maya smiled at him, though it was still somewhat sodden with unshed tears. "But I get now why I shouldn't."

"Then I haven't wasted my breath." said Edgeworth. "Just don't call yourself a failure. You're not. You're only human. Furthermore, you're not stupid or blind and hearing you say so on either front is offensive to me. So, don't."

Silence descended between the two after Edgeworth finished speaking, and it stayed there for about a minute until it was broken by Maya snickering into the handkerchief.

"What?" Edgeworth warily regarded her as her snickering evolved into a full fledged giggle fit. "What's so funny?"

"You. I don't know what was worse, Nick's puns or your encouragement speech." Maya brought down the handkerchief to reveal the radiant smile had made its return. "I have to hand it to you, Mr. Edgeworth. That was, by far, the worst pep talk I have ever gotten in my entire life."

Edgeworth sat there, slightly nonplussed.

His attempts to mollify her had been bad?

Really?

He'd thought he'd done a halfway decent job.

"However, I appreciate that you tried and I get what you were saying, so you get an 'A' for effort." Maya scooted over, perched herself on her knees, and pecked Edgeworth on the cheek. "Thank you. I can't promise immediate results, but I'll try not to be so hard on myself from now on."

Edgeworth's mind went blank.

If he hadn't been nonplussed before, he most certainly was now.

"I have to say, I'm pretty impressed." Maya rearranged the coat on her shoulders that was threatening to swallow her whole while Edgeworth stared at her with the same brilliance of a bird that had just flown headlong into a window. "You've really come a long way."

"What do you mean?" Edgeworth asked numbly.

"Well... let's just say, you're not the same man I met all those years ago." Maya beamed at him. "You actually turned into a person."

"... I still don't follow you."

"I know. That's okay, though. No one said you had to." Maya stretched her arms over her head. "So, you said you guys couldn't access the crime scene without me, huh? Well, I suppose I'll just have to suck it up so we can get back to business. Those murders won't solve themselves. Do you want your coat back?"

She waved a floppy sleeve at him.

"You can keep it for the time being if you want." said Edgeworth. "I was getting overheated, anyway."

"Hey, that's fine with me." Maya burrowed herself into his coat so only her eyes were showing. "Your coat smells fantastic, just like the inside of your car. Anyway, I'll go on ahead and see what I can do about Dr. Bolysm. Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute. Go on without me."

"Okay, I'll see you there." Maya got up, inhaled, let out slowly and smiled the best smile she could manage. "Right… Let's do this thing. I can do this. Just gotta keep on truckin'." She then shook her shoulders, puffed out her chest and marched towards the door leading into the manor, his coat billowing behind her like a cape.

As he watched her leave the garden, Edgeworth couldn't help but find it amusing how comical she looked while wearing his coat. It was gigantic on her, yet for some strange reason, it suited her.

Now alone with only his thoughts to occupy himself, Edgeworth stared out into the garden and wondered just how bad his speech had been. Admittedly, he wasn't one for public speaking if he could help it, but surely it hadn't been as horrendous as she made it out to be. Besides, if it had truly been as bad as she claimed, Maya would still be parked out here on misery avenue.

And...

He reached up and ran the pads of his fingers over the patch of skin where she'd kissed him.

The spot still tingled.

"Feh." Edgeworth shook off his doubts, though his fingers still rubbed at the spot. His pep talk was perfectly adequate, thank you. Maya was probably just teasing him again-

A rustling of leaves shook him out of his revelry and his hand dropped.

Someone else was in the garden.

"Who's there?" Edgeworth called sharply out into the garden. "Make your presence known this instant!"

If that was Wright out there spying on him, he swore to all things holy that he would take that badge of his and shove it so far up his-

Out from behind a fig tree, a ginger head poked its way through the foliage and a golden watch attached to a wrist waved at him.

Edgeworth sighed derisively.

It wasn't Wright.

It was just Detective Time.

"Time, what are you doing over there?" He inquired tartly. Though he sympathized with the detective for having just lost his sister, Edgeworth did not abide eavesdroppers.

"Pokin' the ficus, sir." The detective hung his head.

Edgeworth's eyebrow arched.

" _Why_ are you poking the ficus?"

"It was judgin' me for my sins, sir."

Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Time, stop bothering the ficus and get over here." He directed the detective away from the fig tree and beckoned him over. "What are you doing, skulking around the garden like that?"

"I wasn't skulkin', sir." said Time. "I only wanted to speak with you when you had some availability and I didn't want to interrupt your conversation with the lady. She sounded mighty upset and I didn't want to spook her."

"You weren't eavesdropping, were you?" Edgeworth's gaze narrowed.

"No, sir. I was not." Time straightened up. "I don't listen into conversations like that. The lady was clearly in distress and it wouldn't be right to pry into a lady's sensibilities without her say so. So, I kept my eaves to myself and didn't drop nary a one."

"Oh. Well… good. In any event, if you wish to have my attention, now is a decent time." Edgeworth crossed his arms over his chest, which felt strange since he was no longer wearing his coat because Maya had absconded with it. "What is it you wished to speak with me about?"

Time deflated again.

"Well, I... I read the report about the victim of the train explosion. I apologize for snatchin' it away from the blue suited fella like that, but when I heard her name, I... I don't know what I was thinkin'. I've been pokin' the fig tree ever since."

Detective Skye had mentioned something about Time having broken down behind a tree. That ficus must've been the tree she meant.

"So you're here to apologize?"

"Not just that, sir." Time took a deep breath and stood up straight like someone had jammed a rod into his back. "I want to formally request that I be taken off the case. I don't want whoever killed my sister to get off because I'm involved with the investigation, sir. If my involvement would in any way hinder the prosecution's case, I'd rather not be involved at all. I can't let whoever did this to run free and, sir, I can't be a part of this case now that I'm a person of interest with a connection to the victim. I should've just let Detective Skye have her run of the crime scene in the first place, regardless of whether or not the county set me on this incident."

"I see." Edgeworth considered his words and saw the merit of what he was saying. "Well, first off, you have my condolences. I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, sir." said Time stiffly.

"And secondly, Detective Time, would you be biddable to an interview?"

"An interview?"

"Yes. You are a person of interest. Your insights could shed light on this entire investigation." said Edgeworth. "Surely you would not deny the possibility of such information coming to the surface?"

Time's face hardened with resolution.

"Sir, I would love to help in any way I can."

"Then be seated. This is a fairly secluded area, so there is no one else around to overhear us, unless there is someone else roaming about the garden poking the fig trees." Edgeworth gestured to where Maya had been sitting and pulled out a small notebook he kept in his waistcoat pocket. "State your name and occupation." He flipped open the leather lid of the notebook and took out the pen.

Time blinked.

"Uh... don't you know that already, sir?"

"Time. Name. _Now_."

"Okay, okay. Sorry, sir. Er... My name is Justin Time, and I'm a detective with the local county sheriff's office."

"Detective Time, please testify about the victim of the train station incident, Miss Milly Time. What kind of person was she?"

"Well... she's a right sweetheart. The best little sister a man can have." The rims around Time's eyes grew rather moist and red. "She was a darling, through and through."

"How old was she?"

"She was 22. We're seven years apart because she's got a different mama than I do, but we're peas in a pod, her and me." Time reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a creased, worn photograph. "Here, this is a picture of us when she just got her train attendant job. I took her to Gatewater Land as a treat and she'd never gone before because we couldn't afford to go, but with my promotion to detective, the extra cash flow really helped out, so I got to bring the whole family."

Edgeworth took the photograph and unfolded it.

His jaw promptly dropped.

"... sir?" Time looked at him and then at the photo. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing." Edgeworth quickly dismissed his inquiry. "And this is your _whole_ family?"

"Yeah, me, Milly and the old man." Time indicated the people in the photo with his finger. "We're all that's left now. We used to be a huge family, but... well... stuff happens. Sickness, age, car crashes, that stuff. We'd be the Weasleys if they just whittled us down to three. Milly's the one right there, the one smilin' her head off. She got ice cream in her hair when she fainted in the haunted house because one of the badger mascots jumped out at her. It was a good day. I... I can't believe we won't have any more like that now."

"... I see." Edgeworth handed the photo back to Time. "What does your father do?"

"My old man? He's a watchmaker. _'Otto Time's Watch Emporium'_. He'll make any kind of watch, big or small, wrist or pocket. See?" Time pulled back his coat and the gold timepiece on his wrist flickered in the sun. "I'm a walking advertisement for his products. He made this one for me when I joined the police academy. They're one of a kind, y'know. Every watch he makes is special and only the owner knows why."

"It's lovely." complimented Edgeworth.

"Man... my old man. _How_ am I gonna tell him?" Time ran a hand over his face. "Milly's his life. He'll be all alone now."

"He still has you, doesn't he?"

"Eh, it's not the same. She was special. More 'n me, anyway."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just the way I was brought up, I guess." Time smiled ruefully. "Milly was one in a million, so…so… _oh, god."_

As Time's shoulders started to shake and he turned his face away so all that could be seen was a smattering of red hair, Edgeworth quietly occupied himself with his notebook and pretended not to notice. Despite trying to put on a brave face, it was clear the young man was beside himself with despair and bringing attention to it would only make it worse.

"When did Milly begin working for the train line?" He asked when Time had calmed down enough to speak properly.

"About eight months ago." Time exhaled slowly and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "She was really good at makin' conversation with the attendants and breakin' up fights amongst the passengers. The tales she'd bring home about them gettin' really riled up because of some medium wasn't who they wanted for their channelin' and beatin' on each other about it, man, it made my blood boil. I said I'd go in there and sort them out myself, but Milly, she was prideful. She said she could handle it and I needed to keep my Ps and Qs to myself. Maybe if I hadn't listened to her, she would've... she would've come home."

"She valued her occupation that much?"

"Yes, sir. You'd never meet a more attentive attendant than Milly." said Time. "She made sure to get to know the passengers' names and that they knew her, too. She always tried to be as friendly as possible and she never met a stranger in her life."

Time hissed out a bitter breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"A whole lot of good it did her. Damn it all. I knew somethin' was wrong when Milly didn't come home this mornin'. I _knew_ somethin' had to be up."

"Was it possible she met someone on the train? A man, perhaps?" Edgeworth pressed while writing down some notes.

Time's expression grew sour.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but hell to the no. Milly _never_ didn't come home. She wasn't the type to go around cavortin' with men of any kind, and especially not ones that had ulterior motives. She knew better than that. She was a good girl. She also didn't like men like that, sir. She liked cats, not dogs, if ya get my meanin'."

"Ah."

"So, um… is that all, sir?" Time glanced over the edge of the notepad curiously and quickly retracted his gaze when Edgeworth glared him away. "I... I need to call my old man. He… doesn't know about Milly yet."

"There's one more thing I wish to clarify." Edgeworth glanced over the rim of his glasses. "Were you _really_ assigned to this case, Detective Time?"

Time blinked.

"Huh?"

"You obviously cared for your sister. Upon hearing of what happened to the train station, you mysteriously appeared by yourself, demanding to know the details of the case, even though no one had cleared you before your arrival." Edgeworth replaced the pen, shut the notepad, and pocketed it. "If you had actually been dispatched by the county sheriff's office, you would have had an entourage accompanying you along with a letter of introduction."

He spared the detective a piercingly unamused scowl which caused Time's freckles to go white.

"So, that leads me to only one conclusion. The county sheriff never sent you, did he?"

Time opened his mouth to rebuff him, but no words came.

"So you don't deny it. That was wise." said Edgeworth. "I don't brook liars."

"What... are you gonna do?" Time asked in a whisper as Edgeworth stood.

"Oh, I've already done it." Edgeworth replied lightly as he dusted himself off. "Your motives were pure enough, so I shan't file a formal complaint, but I've let you know that no matter how sneaky you might think you are or what tricks you might pull..."

He leveled the detective with a downright corrosive glare.

"Nothing gets past me. So. Don't. Do it. Again."

Time shrank in on himself and stared down at his shoes.

"... yes, sir."

"Oh, and one more thing. What is your relationship status?"

"Wha... what?" Time looked back up again, his whole face wracked with confusion.

"Just answer the question, detective."

"Um... single?" said Time. "Why?"

"No reason. I merely wanted to know." Edgeworth exited the winding way, leaving a very flummoxed detective alone in the garden.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ you don't want it, Maya?" asked Ema. "I mean, you really did a number on him to get that thing."

"I'm sure, don't worry." Maya nodded just as Edgeworth came into the main hall. "I did a lot of thinking about it and it's a waste to keep something like that for myself, so I was hoping you might like it instead. It'd be happier with you. It's just not happy with me."

"Oh, hey. Don't say that." Ema patted her shoulder. "You'll find the right one, trust me. There's one out there for everybody. The trick is just finding 'em."

"Eh, I'm okay. I'm more of a one trick pony." smiled Maya. "If I can't have what I want, I won't have anything at all."

"Well... that's not the worst idea in the world. The last thing you want to do is settle." Ema puffed out a cheek knowingly. "It would be awful to end up stuck with the wrong one."

"Exactly."

"What are you two on about?" Wright asked while he munched on a manju.

"Oh, nothing. Girl stuff." Maya brushed off Wright's question and snagged a manju out of his paper bag. "You wouldn't be interested."

"Does that 'girl stuff' have anything to do with gaining entry into the crime scene?" asked Edgeworth.

" _Oh!"_ Both ladies spun around. "Mr. Edgeworth, you're back."

"Obviously." Edgeworth's eyebrow arched. "Now, what is the situation regarding the crime scene?"

"Dr. Bolysm's going to let us go in to investigate the scene, but only if I go with you and if she comes along with me." Maya reported, her cheery smile a far cry from her earlier woebegone self. "So, when you're ready, we'll head off."

"I've been ready for a while." said Edgeworth.

"Well then, let's get this gravy train on the road." Maya chirped and headed down the hallway with a spring in her step.

"Wow, she's a lot better than when I saw her last." Wright commented as he watched her round the bend. "Hey Edgeworth, what did you _do_ to her?"

"I subjected her to the world's worst pep talk, evidently." Edgeworth folded his arms against his chest. "I also gave her my coat. She was cold."

"Yeah, I noticed that much." said Wright. "That red coat flapping behind her makes her look like a superhero, like Superman, or Thor, or Captain Underpants."

"Poor Maya. She just can't catch a break." Ema pensively stuffed a manju into her mouth. "First all these murders happen right under her nose, then Pearl's in the ICU and to top it all off, she got dumped by some-"

"Dumped?" Wright repeated. "What do you mean 'dumped'?"

" _Oh!"_ Ema swallowed the manju down hard. "Er, nothing, I didn't say anything. Nope, I didn't, not me-"

"Yes, you did! You said 'dumped'!" Wright pressed onwards. "What did you mean?!"

"Er..."

"Edgeworth, order her to tell me." He wheeled around at Edgeworth. "You can do that, you're her boss. Threaten to cut her pay or something. You did it all the time with Gumshoe."

Ema turned to him in a panic.

"Sir, you wouldn't-"

"Wright, you don't get to tell _me_ what to do." Edgeworth reproached him. "However, I wish to know as well, so unfortunately on this front for you, Detective Skye, I am ordering you to report. What did you mean by 'dumped', exactly?"

Ema cringed.

"B-but I... oh… oh, crud. Yes, sir." She reached to her bag, fished out another manju and crammed it into her mouth. "Jeez. Using my own boss against me. This is why people don't like lawyers, Mr. Wright. Alright, do you remember that bouquet from the wedding that we all chased Larry down for, me and Maya and Athena? The one that he almost got drowned in the fountain for?"

"Yeah, his nose is still busted." Wright tried to hide a grin, but he did a poor job of doing so. "I bet he'll think twice about sending the feds to my office next time he runs off with a murder suspect."

"I'll take that bet." Edgeworth smirked. "Mostly because this is Larry we're talking about and no, he won't. So, on that regard, I've already won."

"... alright, then. Well, Maya was the one who ended up with that bouquet. She was really happy about having it at the time. She even did a victory lap around the reception deck." said Ema. "However, we were talking a minute ago and she just offered it to me."

"She offered you the bouquet?" asked Wright.

"Yes, she did mention something of the kind." concurred Edgeworth. "We talked about it when I visited her house for a brief time earlier in the morning. She was going to see if you wanted it."

"Oh. Well, if she talked about it with you, then you must already know, sir."

Edgeworth's eyebrow arched again.

"Already know what?"

Ema stared at him.

"You do... _know_... don't you, sir?"

"I can't say that I do, Detective Skye." said Edgeworth, growing a smidgeon impatient. "Out with it."

"Mr. Wright?" Ema turned to the defense attorney.

Wright shook his head.

Ema gaped at them.

"Oh, c'mon. It's obvious. Why would a woman who worked so hard for a bouquet suddenly want to get rid of it? What would cause her to do that?"

Wright and Edgeworth looked at each other.

"... the flowers wilted?" offered Wright.

" _No."_ Ema stuck her hands on her hips. "Maya's been jilted, that's what happened. That's why she doesn't want the bouquet anymore. She got her hopes up and some guy trashed them, that's why she wants to ditch the flowers. That's why I said her life's pretty awful right now. All this stress on top of getting the boot from a man, it's a miracle she can keep her head above water, let alone swim. Maya's not having a good time of things right now and you two prying certainly isn't helping, even if it _is_ just prying at me."

"So, when you said 'dumped', you really _did_ mean by a guy!"Wright's hair spikes stood on end, which was impressive given how pointy they already were. "Maya never told me she was seeing somebody!"

"Nor did she tell me as much." attested Edgeworth. "I did not know she was in a romantic relationship with anyone. I daresay Pearl didn't know either."

"Yeah, because if she _did_ know, there would've been a third murder." shuddered Wright. "Pearls is cute most of the time, but she's scary when she's mad."

"You speak from personal experience, I imagine." commented Edgeworth languidly.

"Yep. So, do you think this guy's a local?" Wright looked from side to side. "If so, where's his house and who's got a match?"

"Wright, no arson schemes in front of the Chief Prosecutor." said Edgeworth.

"No, it's more likely she was dating somebody when she was overseas, though I'd put the emphasis on 'was' in that statement." said Ema. "Furthermore, factoring in all the evidence, it's clear she must've been let go, had the relationship terminated, dumped, jilted, ditched, given the old heave ho, thrown out like yesterday's newspapers, I've got more euphemisms if you want me to go on-"

"No, I get it." seethed Wright. "Maya never told me she was seeing a guy, but what kind of monster would _do_ that to her?! That's... that's unforgivable!"

"The kind of guy that just got bored of her or someone else came along that he liked better, probably." said Ema with a shrug. "It happens. It's not nice or fair, but it happens. Such is the way of a wandering lust."

Edgeworth mildly wondered who could be strange enough to ever find Maya boring.

Wright, however, wasn't so mild.

" _Names!_ I want names! Edgeworth, get Interpol on the phone- don't you look at me like that, I _know_ you know their number- I'll track this guy down and give him a piece of my mind! He'll choke on it for a _week-"_

"See, this is probably why she didn't tell you, Mr. Wright." sighed Ema. "She probably figured you'd react like this if you found out. You do have a tendency to be overprotective of every female in your vicinity. It's part of your charm, but it's also really annoying sometimes."

" _But it's Maya-"_

"What makes you think it wasn't her decision to terminate this supposed relationship?" Edgeworth asked while Wright stood there muttering to himself about his revenge plan on Maya's behalf. "Surely that might be an equal reason for disposing of a bouquet."

"Maybe from a logical standpoint, but not on something like this." Ema rebuffed. "If Maya had been the one to end the dalliance, something like a bouquet wouldn't cause her so much emotional turmoil. Its' presence is probably a reminder of what happened between her and her former paramour, so getting rid of it is a reasonable step to take when trying to shake off the dust of a failed relationship."

"I still don't see the difference."

"Mr. Edgeworth, to get dumped by somebody when you still like them is astronomically different from when you dump somebody yourself. Yes, it will hurt regardless because the relationship ends, but she had no control over its ending and it was probably too abrupt for her to handle. She was rejected and thrown away before she was able to let go herself, there's no nice way to sugar coat it. Poor Maya must be in a lot of pain right now."

"This guy will burn..."

"Wright, don't threaten people in front of me or I will be forced to have you arrested." Edgeworth admonished. "Wait until I am out of earshot first."

"I'm going to go talk to her about it." Wright sucked in a deep breath and puffed out his chest. "Whoever this guy is, he's not going to get away with-"

" _No!"_ Ema moved in front of him and blocked his way. "Mr. Wright, you can't do that!"

"Why not?!" flared Wright.

"Because you'll only make it worse." Ema stuck her hands on her hips. "Mr. Wright, I know you want to help, but Maya's processing a lot right now. Press her too hard or say the wrong thing, and you could end up doing a lot of emotional damage and creating hangs ups that will take her years to bounce back from, if she does at all. People have developed all sorts of clinically proven issues from not allowing themselves to come to grips with what happened after a relationship turned sour or they were rejected, so just leave her be and if she wants to talk about it, she'll come round. Until then, mind your own business and don't push."

"Given his profession, your request might be nigh impossible, Detective." said Edgeworth.

"Hey, what are you guys doing, standing around?" Maya poked her head around the bend. "I thought you were the ones raring to go and I was holding up the procession, but here I find it's opposite day- Nick, why do you look like you're going to explode?"

"I'm... not." Wright stifled down whatever he wanted to say, briskly strode forwards and caught Maya in a tight hug.

"Huh?!" Maya gasped in surprise at the embrace and returned it until Wright let go. "Um... okay, thank you for that. Hugs are always good, but what was that for?"

"Reasons." Wright said curtly and he disappeared down the hall.

"... alright, then." Maya watched him go and turned to Ema. "So, what was that all about- Ema?"

Ema was gone too.

Maya blinked again and glanced at Edgeworth, utterly bewildered.

"Wow, they're both acting weirder than usual, huh, Mr Edgeworth-" Maya paused. "Uh, Mr. Edgeworth? What are you looking at me like that for? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Edgeworth shook off her question and put a hand on his chest; the stabbing sensation from earlier was wreaking havoc on his sternum. "It's nothing."

He figured Maya might know something about the locks afflicting him and had planned on seeking her counsel on the subject when the opportunity arose, but Ema was right. Maya was under a lot of strain at the present moment and him adding one more thing to her pile of unresolved issues might just be the straw that broke the camel's back, so he decided he would refrain from troubling her for the time being.

So, with that in mind, he cut a sharp exit around her in pursuit of Wright and Ema, leaving Maya alone in the front hall.

Maya's mouth fell open.

"Did everyone go bananas in the past five minutes when I wasn't looking?!"

* * *

(A/N- Not gonna lie, this is probably my favorite chapter so far. I'm rather pleased with how it turned out, especially since my hands went numb when I was working on it because I typed for too long in one sitting and overestimated my finger strength. Oh, well. Live and learn, I suppose. I'm just happy I was able to post it online as soon as I was. I wasn't so sure for a while because things where I am have been getting a little precarious financially lately, so that's been a thing cutting into my writing time. However, I'll do my best and attempt to keep within the parameters of my upload schedule as much as I can. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!)


	11. The Murdering Malice

Chapter Eleven: The Murdering Malice

"Mr. Edgeworth, is there something you want to talk to me about?" Maya ran a gloved finger along the floor and grimaced when it came back covered in dust.

"No, not really. Why do you ask?" Edgeworth retrieved the carbon monoxide detector from the pocket of his coat that she still had draped over her shoulders, unhooked the wand from the detector's main body and punched in a few numbers on the stopwatch.

"Because for the past twenty minutes, I've been catching you looking at me when you think I won't notice."

"Hmph." Edgeworth tapped the side of the detector with the flat of his hand to jar it into service and waved the wand around. "That's a good trick since I wasn't even looking at you."

"You were a minute ago." Maya's cheek puffed out. "Then when you noticed I was looking back, you looked away. It's like I'm playing the 'I'm not looking at you' game with a cat."

"You're imagining things, Miss Fey." The CO detector in his hand beeped twice and stated that no carbon monoxide was present inside the sword chamber, so Edgeworth bent down, replaced the detector inside his coat pocket, stood back up again and peered around the now lit room instead.

Admittedly, he _had_ been sneaking glances at her, but that was only because the excruciatingly painful stabbing sensation in his sternum was becoming impossible to ignore. The pain in his chest had grown exceedingly worse in the last half hour and it hadn't gone away, not even when he'd attempted to distract himself with focusing on the gruesome crime scene instead.

However, until the case was finished, he resolved to bear the pain quietly. He'd told himself as much when out in the front hall and he was going to stick to his decision. After all, Edgeworth was a being tempered in stoicism from a very early age, and something as trifling as this wasn't about to break his self control.

The fact he kept staring at her was just a side effect.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're doing it again." said Maya. "What's up? Do you want your coat back or something?"

"No. It's nothing." Disregarding a pang that felt as if someone had twisted a blade in his chest to the left like the dial on an egg timer, Edgeworth let his gaze rove around the sword chamber for anything that he could use to distract Maya long enough to get her to cease her inquiries.

Other than the door covered in charms and the streamers attached to the rusted broadsword in the center of the chamber, there wasn't really much to the room. It was fairly sparse with its dark wood flooring and equally dense wooden walls painted with murals, and the only thing of interest, other than what he'd already noted, were four cream pillar candles set in designated alcoves carved into the wood, one on each wall, and two sizable pools of blood splattered on the wooden flooring, each from a different victim.

"Miss Fey," Edgeworth pointed to a nearby candle. "If I might, what can you tell me about these candles?"

"The ceremonial candles?" Maya got up from where she'd been on the floor and approached the candle. "Well, first and foremost, they don't work like a regular candle. They aren't lit by your typical combustion matches, but rather they're ignited by spiritual power. Regular fire won't catch on these wicks."

"They're lit by spiritual power?" Edgeworth raised one very skeptical eyebrow. "How does _that_ work?"

Maya grinned at him.

"Watch this." She arranged her hands in an intricate triangle formation, held them to the center of her chest and sharply shifted them downwards.

With a whoosh, a green flame flared into life and settled happily in the candle's white wick.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Maya beamed as Edgeworth leaned forward and squinted at the healthy viridescent flame. "That little fire right there is fueled by the spiritual power of the medium who lights it, right now that medium being me. I transferred a little bit of my power outside my body and the candle captured the essence and sparked it into a fire. So, what do you think? I've taken the phrase 'going green' to a whole new level, wouldn't you say?"

"That you have." In spite of himself, Edgeworth was fascinated by the strange green flame. "Do all flames from these candles look like this?"

"Hm. It depends." Maya closed her eyes contemplatively. "The brightness and clarity of the flame depends on the conjurer, mostly. Do you see how bright my flame is and how it has a clear, emerald sheen to it?"

"Yes."

"That's because I just came back from a world tour of purification rites training. I'm soaked with spiritual energy right now, so my flame right here is a testament to that. If say, someone who had less energy than I do produced a flame, the color would be significantly weaker and the flame wouldn't shine as brightly."

"Hmph." Ever the cynic, Edgeworth reached a hand towards the flame, but stopped just short of touching it. "The heat is present enough, that much is certain. However, it doesn't feel like a regular flame."

"That's because it's _not_ a regular flame. It's my spiritual energy burning outside my body. Here, let me show you."

"'Show me'? And how do you plan to do th-" Maya latched her fingers around Edgeworth's wrist and aimed his hand at the candle. "M-maya, what are you doing?!"

"Relax." Maya squeezed his wrist reassuringly and winked at him. "It won't burn you. Trust me."

Edgeworth began to protest that touching fire of any kind, regardless of its origin, would undoubtedly burn him, but once the tip of the fire grazed his outstretched hand, he found to his astonishment that no pain came forth.

"See?" Maya smiled. "It's perfectly safe. Now, what do you feel?"

"What do you mean?" Edgeworth apprehensively watched the fire lick the skin of his palm.

"I've never gotten the chance to ask a null how a spiritual flame feels before." said Maya. "I'm curious what it feels like from an external point of view."

"You used that term before. Exactly what is a 'null'?"

"In layman's terms, you." said Maya with a goodnatured glint in her eye. "In more of a wordy explanation, a null is a person with virtually no spiritual energy at all. They've got just enough to keep their spirit anchored inside their body, but that's it. If spiritual energy were water, they'd be the Gobi desert."

"And I'm a null?"

"The nullest null there ever was." beamed Maya. "You're a man of cold, hard science and anything of an unexplainable nature isn't possible, or, at least, according to you, it's not."

Edgeworth frowned at her. She was far too ebullient when she said that. It was disconcerting.

"Why are you so pleased by that? From the way you described me, one would think you would be repulsed by my stance on your livelihood."

"Oh, no, not at all." said Maya. "I find it refreshing, actually."

"... why?"

"You're honest about being a null, Mr. Edgeworth. You don't make any bones about it and you don't shy away from who you are. A good portion of nulls aren't like that. They like to pretend they have spiritual power and can see what they can't, but they're only lying about their abilities to impress other nulls. Those nulls then pretend they can see it too, because they don't want to look stupid or foolish, and so the cycle continues."

"Oh. So, it's like 'The Emperor's New Clothes', you mean."

"Exactly. There used to be a huge problem many years ago with nulls pretending to be spirit mediums and conning people out of their hard earned money by promising them messages from their loved ones that had passed on. Having witnessed it yourself, you know that an actual physical transformation occurs when a proper medium channels a spirit, but because that wasn't common knowledge way back when, charlatans got away with a lot by exploiting the uneducated public." said Maya. "So, when a little kid, or someone like you, comes along and exposes the emperor for being naked, or, in this case, the nulls for being frauds, it actually makes life easier for the rest of us who truly can deliver on our claims, that one incident with my mother notwithstanding."

Edgeworth staved off the urge to cringe.

"Let's... not talk about that."

The memory of the earthquake was still fresh in his mind.

"Right, agreed. Anyway, people like you really do help the medium community, Mr. Edgeworth. Back in the day, the only people who pointed out the obvious and tried to expose fakes were mediums and those filled with spiritual power, but that didn't usually work out too well for them when they cornered a fraud."

"How so?" asked Edgeworth.

"It was often dangerous for them because, when exposed, those pretenders tended to get really nasty. The fakes would turn the tables, accuse the mediums of being frauds and sic their followers on them instead. Many a medium's ended up dead because all they did was point out the phony and no one would believe them."

"Hmm. I didn't realize how much of a need for skepticism there was in such a woolly profession in order to keep it honest." Edgeworth frowned. "Or how dangerous it was without a fact checker."

"Mm, there's more danger to being a medium than just fending off usurping family members, y'know." said Maya. "On a different, but slightly relevant note, It's also kinda cool to see somebody not need any mysticism in their lives. I'm surrounded by mediums and channeling and all sorts of metaphysicality on a daily basis. You, on the other hand, use logic, facts and figures to get where you need to go and I think that's fantastic. I like it when people are themselves and don't try to be something they're not. The authenticity is a breath of fresh air."

"And my dubiety doesn't offend your professional pride?" Edgeworth inquired while sparing her a suspicious glance from the corner of his eye.

"Nope. That's just you." chirped Maya. "You're not me, and I'm not you, and that's fine. I've got my strengths and you've got yours. They don't have to match. Besides, if everybody was the same, the world would be a really boring place, don't you think?"

Not having expected such an answer, Edgeworth stared at her silently for a moment and then sheepishly coughed into his fist.

"I... suppose it would."

Honestly, he'd never really thought about it.

"Furthermore, who else would shout at sci-fi films for not being possible if you weren't there to do it?" continued Maya with a puckish grin. "You have quite a niche to fill, Mr. Edgeworth. The world wouldn't be the same without you."

"Good to know." said Edgeworth flatly.

"So, what are you feeling?"

"Confused, mostly."

"No, not that. The flame. Describe it for me. Please?"

"Oh... very well." Edgeworth closed his eyes and focused on the flame brushing against his palm. "It feels... warm. Very warm. Almost hot, like running your hand under water coming from a bath tap, but it's not uncomfortable. It's a rather pleasant temperature, and definitely not one that I would expect from a flame."

"Uh huh." Maya eagerly gestured for him to go on. "What else, what else?"

"It feels a lot like a liquid." He turned his hand skyward and allowed the flame to dance on the back of his hand. "Its viscosity is thicker than water, but it's fluid enough that I actually can feel it dripping off my hand, if that makes any sense. I'd put it more akin to boiled tree sap, or a texture thereabouts."

Maya looked appalled.

"My spiritual energy feels like maple syrup to you?"

"Essentially."

Maya's face grew grave.

"... Mr. Edgeworth, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me completely honestly because this is very important. Lives depend on it."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at her surreptitiously stern expression.

"Yes?"

"Is it the real syrup, or the fake syrup?"

He stared at her.

"... The real syrup." Edgeworth felt a headache pulse behind his left eye; was she twenty eight or five? "It's not sticky, but the viscidity is the same in terms of consistency, so-"

"I hate to interrupt, but you two are violating about five Fey laws right now, so if you would kindly get your hand out of that fire and step away from the candle, I'd appreciate it. There's enough of a mess in here, we don't need your smote corpse all over the floor too."

Both of them froze.

Standing right behind them was Dr. Bolysm, leaning on her walking stick and smirking at them the same way she had when he'd first met her at the hospital.

"Hello there." Dr. Bolysm wiggled her fingers at them. "I was wondering when one of you would notice I was back here."

"How... how long have you been there?" Maya pulled Edgeworth's hand out of the fire and let go of his wrist.

"Oh, I don't know, the whole time, give or take a few seconds? You two didn't even notice I was watching. It was actually kind of cute, if not for the whole blaspheming part."

Edgeworth glowered at her.

He really did not like this woman.

"Ooh, what's with that look?" Dr. Bolysm grinned impishly at him. "Are you mad I interrupted you while you were having your fun playing with the master's heat?"

"... That sounded wrong in so many different ways." squirmed Maya.

"I'm more annoyed at your insistence on barring the investigation until Miss Fey was present, if you must know." Edgeworth replied tartly. "You cost us the better part of an hour's worth of investigation time."

"You'll live. Besides, it was good for you." said Dr. Bolysm. "Everyone needs time to come to grips with a shock. Don't, and it'll come back to bite you in the rear later on in life."

"I highly doubt that." snorted Edgeworth.

"Oh, I bet you do." Dr. Bolysm chuckled and angled her walking stick at Maya. "And you, Mystic Maya. You know better than to show your abilities off and especially not to random men. You don't want him to get weird ideas, do you?"

Maya scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Dr. Bolysm, please. This is Mr. Edgeworth we're talking about. 'Weird' isn't something he does. 'Weird' is something he has inflicted upon him. Ask anybody, they'll tell you."

Despite wishing it were otherwise, Edgeworth wholeheartedly agreed with her on that front.

"Mmhm." Dr. Bolysm didn't look convinced. "Well, call it whatever you like, but it was still in violation of the Fey code of conduct. Spiritual power is for show and business, not for playtime and messing around."

"He wasn't messing around." Maya countered. "I'm the one who stuck his hand in it. He had my full permission to touch it."

"Yes, and we all know how well that worked out once upon a time, now don't we?" Dr. Bolysm's fogged glasses shot over to the other side of the chamber like a hawk that'd spotted a tasty trout. "Hey, Spiky! Watch those streamers! I'm not having you unleash a calamity on all of us because you're not paying attention to where your gunboats are going! Don't think you get a 'get out of jail free' card just because you're cute-!"

"What was she talking about?" Edgeworth watched idly by as the doctor stomped across the room and proceeded to dress down Ema and Wright because Wright had made the unfortunate mistake of sidestepping too close to a streamer.

"It's from an old Fey-ry tale." said Maya. "Everyone in the clan hears it before they begin their spiritual training. It's more or less a cautionary tale about discretion towards revealing our energy to outsiders, especially men, in an attempt to impress them. Do you want to hear it?"

"Perhaps later." Edgeworth turned back to the candle. "So, who can see these candles without assistance?"

"Anyone with enough spiritual energy would be able to see a regular ceremonial candle glow, even an untrained person." said Maya. "However, these aren't your run-of-the-mill ceremonial candles. Only natural born members of the Fey clan can see these without help. The flame burning off this sort of candle has a special property that can be seen only by a chosen few for precautionary reasons."

"If that's the case, why could I see it?"

"The only reason you could see the flame was because a high ranking member of the clan lent you her power. You were using my power to see, so it stands to reason that you'd be able to see what I can, even if you normally wouldn't be able to see anything at all. With my energy, I just altered you a little, like an ill fitting suit in need of tailoring."

"You altered the composition of my eyes?!" Edgeworth was horrified. He wouldn't even get lasik and she just went and-

"What? No." Maya smiled amusedly. "You don't see spiritual energy with your eyes, silly. You see it with your soul. I basically got out some jumper cables and zapped your battery. That's all. You don't need to panic, your eyeballs remain untouched and safe inside your head right where they should be."

"I... I see." Edgeworth put a hand to his chest. That was a relief. He really didn't like the idea of anyone mucking about with his eyes.

His soul, fine.

Just not his eyes.

"No, these candles aren't for regular ceremonies and we don't light these ourselves, barring my one example. When a flame crops up on this candle, it crops up on its own, and when _that_ happens, it's cause for an emergency."

"An emergency?" Edgeworth watched as Maya went back over to the candle, waved her hand over it and whooshed the flame away.

"Yep. Y'see, these are ceremonial harbinger candles." Maya gestured to the winding trails of paper charms looped above them with her slender index finger. "You see those conjuration streamers and how they trail down to the sword in the middle of the room?"

"They're hard to miss, Miss Fey." Edgeworth glanced at a streamer near his head. "Just because Wright doesn't pay attention does not mean I am equally obtuse."

"My name's Maya, Mr. Edgeworth." sighed Maya. "Anyway, this room is usually completely off limits to virtually everyone because there's something really nasty sealed in here. Those charms and streamers around the room aren't just for show. Whenever the seal starts to weaken and whatever it is that's inside begins to stir, the candles react to the oncoming storm's spiritual energy signature and flicker into life. They warn us before the spirit breaks the bonds so we can perform a sealing rite and stuff that sucker back where they came from."

... _Sealing rite?_

Urgh.

Edgeworth could already feel his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"What is... allegedly sealed in here?" He folded his arms against his chest. "Or, more likely, what is _believed_ to be sealed in here?"

"That I don't know." said Maya with a puzzled frown. "You'd have to ask Dr. Bolysm. Mrs. Voyant was the guard and only the Synod of Elders' members have ready access to this room. Not even the Master can just go wherever she wants, y'know."

"I would, but it seems she is a trifle busy at the moment." Edgeworth spared Wright a pitying look. "So, could Mrs. Voyant see the flames react?"

"Yeah, she was the guard, so she could see the flames just fine- hey, wait a minute." Maya glared disapprovingly at him. "Mr. Edgeworth, that was dark, even for you. When I said you should try developing a sense of humor, I didn't mean a morbid one."

"Wha-I didn't mean it like _that- Grrnnk~!"_

Something struck Edgeworth square in the leg and he doubled over in pain.

"Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya rushed over to where he knelt on the ground, muttering angrily under his breath while a dull, horrid pain radiated through his leg. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"No. I was so focused on the candle, I didn't see what was on the floor next to me." Edgeworth grimaced as stars danced in front of his eyes. "I hit my shin on something."

"Ooh, ouch." Maya winced sympathetically. "I bet that hurt. Here, lemme see."

Edgeworth blanched.

"Miss Fey, I'm fine, you don't need to loo- Maya, let _go_ of my trouser leg!"

"Ooh. You left a deep scuff in the leather of your boot. You must've hit it harder than I thought. Well, you don't look that mangled in any case, so I doubt we'll have to chop it. See, there's some good news for ya." Maya clicked her tongue, dropped the burgundy fabric back overtop the leather boot and craned her neck around him in search of what he'd accidentally struck. "Ah, and there's the culprit right there. It appears the object that attempted to slay you is a small storage chest of some kind."

"Storage chest?" Edgeworth looked where Maya indicated and watched as she plucked a chest out from where it was wedged upside down next to the wall.

"Yep. It looks old." Maya tilted her head at an angle and did the same with the box. "I don't recognize it, though."

"I do." Edgeworth gently rubbed at the raw spot on his leg; that really did hurt. "That is Mrs. Voyant's chest. I retrieved her notebook from inside. However, the last time I saw it, it was safely secure inside her chambers at the front room, not buried upside down in here."

"What's this doing in here, then?" Maya undid the latch and flipped open the lid. "Was someone after the contents?"

"It's a possibility." Edgeworth peered inside with her. "She kept an old tape recorder in here, but it doesn't appear to be here anymore. Aside from that, however, all the other things I saw are still accounted for."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He pointed to all the strange tools. "Every one of these tools were present when I went to take the notebook at her instruction. Nothing else is missing."

"Huh. Weird. Hey, do you think one of these tools is the murder weapon?" asked Maya. "Do we even know what the murder weapon _is?"_

"Not until the autopsy report on Mrs. Voyant comes back." Edgeworth plucked one of the tools from the chest and rotated it with his latex gloved fingers. "Also, I highly doubt the murder weapon is one of these."

"What about this one?" Maya picked up the poker looking tool. "This looks ice pick-y."

"It might look like it could stab someone, but all this does is indent paper. It's not sharp like an awl, though they share a resemblance in form. It can't puncture anything other than punctuation."

"Oh. Well, shoot." Maya dropped it back into the box, looking rather disappointed. "There went that theory. And here I thought somebody went all Trotsky on Mrs. Voyant and- Mr. Edgeworth, there's _blood_ on the chest!"

She quickly flipped over the box and held it for him to see.

Smeared across the underside of the box's back edge was a long, slick streak of blood, along with a few light brown hairs.

"Oh. Well, isn't this disgusting." Edgeworth ran his finger down the edge of the box and scowled when the red smear came back on his glove.

The blood was still fresh.

"I think... we found the thing that hit Pearly." Maya barely managed to stifle a shudder. "Yeesh, and you thought your shin was bad. Poor Pearly."

"So it would seem." said Edgeworth with an equally grim countenance.

"Hey, Edgeworth, Maya. C'mere a second." Wright called over to them now that Dr. Bolysm was back in her watching spot near the talisman covered door and was no longer yelling at him. "I found something."

"What'd you find, Nick?" Maya, box in hand, trotted over to where he was, Edgeworth hot on her heels.

"This was right in the corner near the doorway." Wright held up a small white lighter with a blue star on the side. "This look familiar to you, Edgeworth?"

"It's the same design from the train." Edgeworth took the lighter and turned it around in his hands. "However, unlike the one we found, this one is perfectly intact. It's been used, but still intact."

"You guys found a lighter?" asked Maya.

"Yes, it was in a vent. I still haven't gotten the fingerprint analysis back for it yet, though."

"It's being processed right now, sir." Ema called from her spot near the outline tape where she was pressed to the floor. "We just haven't found a match yet. All the known databases are being swept for it as we speak."

"Y'know, I was wondering what that lighter looked like before it got melted." said Wright. "It's fairly pretty. Well, this one's in perfect condition, so that means it didn't get munched when the train went up in smoke."

"Hey, should you really be crouching on the ground like that?" Maya pointed at Wright's back. "You already threw your back out once today, didn't you? You're risking a sequel."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be fine... probably. Besides, you're not my mom, Maya." Wright patted around in the dark looking for another piece of evidence. "I can make my own life choices."

Maya snorted.

"That right there's a stupid life choice, Nick."

"Hey, it's not my fault this murder's in the atmosphere of the short people. I _have_ to bend over." A foul popping noise came from Wright's back and he groaned. "Urgh. Just once, can't there be a homicide that happens on a tall shelf?"

"Wright, stop crouching like that, you fool. You'll only throw your back out again if you aggravate it beyond its limits." Edgeworth placed the lighter in a plastic bag and tossed it at Ema while Wright cracked the small of his back into place with his palms. "Detective, get that tested for fingerprints, will you?"

"I'm on it!" Ema caught it like a cat pouncing on a dove and pulled her trusty fingerprinting powder out of her bag. "This'll be a quick read, so give me a few minutes and I'll have your prints in no time."

"Oh, and while you're at it, Detective, print this box as well." Edgeworth took the box from Maya and flipped it over to show Ema the blood stain on the bottom edge. "If you look here, you can see there is blood on the flat edge of this chest. I want it completely analyzed."

"Sure thing, sir. Just set it down right there and I'll handle that next." Ema covered the lighter in powder, lifted the prints off the surface and scanned it into her handheld PDA.

"Do you have a match yet?" Edgeworth mildly glanced over her shoulder at the PDA's screen.

"Not yet, it's taking it's time matching up the print markers... Oh, here we go! I've got a match!"

"Excellent." said Edgeworth. "Whose prints are on the lighter?"

"Hm... there's only one set, so that narrows things down a bit." murmured Ema. "Let's see here... oh."

"What?" asked Wright. "What's 'oh'?"

Ema looked up.

"It's Pearl's fingerprints."

"Pearl's'?" Edgeworth and Wright shared a confused glance.

"Why would Pearly's fingerprints be on a lighter?" Maya's nose wrinkled. "She doesn't smoke. She thinks it's a horrible habit and rightly so. It's really gross. Speaking of which, Nick, why would you care about how pretty a lighter is or not? You're not taking up smoking, are you? That stuff _kills_ people, Nick-"

"Hey, there's more than one use for lighters, y'know-"

"Like what? Arson?"

"Well, he _did_ threaten to burn down someone's house earlier."

"Ema, you said we shouldn't talk about that."

"Of course you shouldn't, I'm still in the room. Wait until I leave before you discuss your firebug preferences, Wright."

"This is so discombobulated. How do any of you ever get any work done? If this is how investigations are run these days, I fear for the legal system."

"You and I both, Madam-"

" _Everybody, quit it!"_ Maya clapped her hands together three times to get everyone to put a sock in it. "Nick, no burning down people's houses, Mr. Edgeworth, remember to breathe- _both_ ways- Dr. Bolysm, you're not helping, and Ema... you're fine. Anyway, we need to focus on the matter at hand. So, let's have ourselves a little brainstorm. We need to figure out why Pearly's prints are on that lighter and why she was in this chamber in the first place. I, for one, find that the strangest part about this whole case. Everybody knows that certain chambers are out of bounds for all except the Synod of Elders. So, why would Pearly, who never breaks the rules, come in here? She must've had a good reason. She doesn't break rules like I do."

"You break rules?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow.

"Only the stupid ones." said Maya. "Alright, people. Discuss."

"Maybe she needed the lighter to see when she was in here." suggested Wright. "It was pitch black, so she'd need a light to get around."

"Not quite, Wright. She would've been able to see because of the ceremonial candle's flame." corrected Edgeworth; it appeared he wasn't the only 'null' in the room.

"Ceremonial what now?" Wright and Ema looked confused.

Maya repeated her explanation of the candles to them as she'd done with Edgeworth, but that did little to dispel their bewilderment.

"Yes, I know. Outlandish as it seems, it is an aspect of this case that cannot be overlooked." sighed Edgeworth. "If the flame was lit, that meant she wouldn't need the lighter and when Miss Fey and I came in, the flame was already lit, Pearl was unconscious, and Mrs. Voyant was dead."

"Was the ceremonial candle lit when _Pearls_ came in here, though?" Wright ran a hand over his mouth. "If it wasn't, then she'd need the lighter, regardless of whether or not she could see the flame."

"Unfortunately, that we don't know just yet." said Edgeworth. "However, since there was a lighter in the area with her prints on it, that shows premeditated intent to enter the chamber regardless if the candle was lit or not."

"I think the candle had to have been lit." said Maya. "Pearly wouldn't have come in here without a reason. The only reason I can think of that she would come in here is if she saw the candle was lit and decided to investigate."

"Do you have any proof to substantiate that claim, Miss Fey?" asked Edgeworth. "Evidence is everything. If you can't back up your claim with solid proof, it won't hold water."

"I have extensive knowledge of the temperament of the person whom we're discussing, which is proof enough on a psychological level." Maya's tone of voice grew serious. "While it might not be concrete, it's important to factor in the nature of the suspect's personality in order to ascertain the truth of their movements as governed by their inherent character. Pearly's always been really hard on herself when it comes to following rules, especially the ones that could potentially make people disappointed with her if she broke them. She never would've come in here without permission unless she thought there was a genuine reason to break those rules. That fact can't be ignored."

"So you mean like the candles being lit?" Wright asked.

"That'd be enough to get her to break the rules, yeah." Maya looked to Edgeworth, though he chose to remain silent for the time being; it was oddly fascinating listening to her sounding so mature. "Not much else would."

"However, that would mean that to see the flame, the door upstairs that leads down here would already have to have been open." Wright pointed out. "Pearls is a talented medium, but not even she can see through walls."

"So, if we go with this line of thought, that means that she wasn't the first one in here." Ema finished with a ruminative chew of her lip. "Someone else got in here first."

"Like Mrs. Voyant?"

"Or someone else. Alright, let us suppose that is true that the candle was what lured Pearl inside this chamber." Edgeworth decided to let Maya have her way for now; he'd disprove her in due time if she ended up being wrong. "How then do you propose the candle was lit? According to Miss Fey, regular matches or combustion flames won't ignite the candles. They require a medium."

"Could Mrs. Voyant have lit the candle?" suggested Wright.

"She could, but I don't think that's likely." said Maya. "Mrs. Voyant was the gatekeeper of this chamber. She knew those candles were for harbinger use only, so she wouldn't have lit them. Besides, she was blind. What would _she_ need light for? The darkness was her best friend when it came to catching people unawares who might try to slink around in here."

"That's... a valid point." murmured Wright. "Wait, what if Pearls was the one who lit it? That's got some merit-"

"That also shoots the argument that Pearl was lured inside by the flame in the foot." pointed out Edgeworth.

"... oh, yeah."

"Sorry to kill your theory, Nick, but I know for a fact she didn't light it." rebuffed Maya. "Pearly's not allowed to light the candles."

"Why not?" asked Ema.

"There was an incident when the village had a blackout about a month ago." said Dr. Bolysm. "Pearl attempted to help everyone by lighting a candle while they searched for the portable electric generators, and the only candle she could find was a ceremonial harbinger one."

"... What happened?" Wright asked tentatively.

"She almost blinded everyone in the room. So, Pearl's not allowed to light the candles anymore. It's a rule now, by unanimous vote."

"Yeah." agreed Maya. "And since I didn't scream in agony and bury my face in Mr. Edgeworth's coat when I first saw the flame, it wasn't Pearly's handiwork. It was far too weak."

"Was it really that bad?"

"Think strobe light to your retinas." said Dr. Bolysm.

"It's not her fault, though." defended Maya. "She was just trying to help. Pearly's just that flooded with spiritual power. She felt really bad about it. She even made apology jewelry for everybody she nearly rendered sightless."

"I'm still wearing mine." Dr. Bolysm hooked a thumb underneath her magatama to show the necklace woven out of leather cord.

"Aw, poor Pearls. So if it wasn't Pearls' doing, and it wasn't the old lady's, is it possible for the candle to just switch on by itself?"

"You'd better hope not, Spiky." said Dr. Bolysm with a dry snort. "If that happened, a couple of dead people in here would be the least of our worries."

"I suppose the only way we'll find out if it was lit or not when Pearl came in here is when she's interviewed." sighed Ema. "And we can't do that right now since she's in surgery."

"Speaking of which, I also want to speak with the junior doctor." said Edgeworth. "He might know something."

"Well, they'll be in the same place for a bit, so you'll get your wish on that angle, Sonny Jim. I'll just tell Phil to let us know when she's up and lucid enough to speak." The old lady tapped her stick on the ground. "He won't leave her side until she's better."

"Good guy." Wright nodded in approval.

"He's a good boy, that one."

"Detective Skye, any sign of anything that could've been used as a murder weapon?" Edgeworth turned to Ema.

"No, sir. I scoured this tub from top to bottom and let me tell you, there wasn't any sign of something that could've done her in. We won't know about the exact cause of death until the autopsy report comes back, but I haven't seen anything that could do bodily damage." sighed Ema. "It's likely the culprit took the weapon with them."

"Or it's that sword over there." Wright hooked a thumb at the sword covered in the streamers.

"Oh, I can guarantee you it's not." said Dr. Bolysm with a bitter smile.

"So, in terms of figuring out why Pearls was inside the chamber, why she had a lighter, and whether or not the flame was lit, so far, we've achieved a grand total of jack squat." Wright groaned. "Great."

"Pretty much." sighed Ema. "So, if the victim didn't light it, and neither did Pearl, it looks like we're looking for somebody who can light the candles, but that'd include the entire Fey clan."

"A good chunk of them, anyway." nodded Maya. "It certainly doesn't narrow down the suspect list any."

"Let's go, then." Edgeworth readjusted his glasses and suppressed a sigh of his own. "The autopsy report is probably waiting for us outside and there's not much in here left to investigate-"

" _Hold it!"_ Dr. Bolysm stomped her walking stick sharply on the wooden floor, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. "Nobody. Move. An inch."

"Is... is there a problem?" Ema asked nervously.

"You bet your biscuits there is. Who among you touched blood?" Dr. Bolysm jabbed her walking stick at them. "Check your gloves."

Everyone looked at their gloves.

"Well? Show of hands, who did?"

Everybody raised their hands.

Dr. Bolysm huffed exasperatedly.

"Seems I was right to keep watch on all of you turkeys. None of you were paying any attention." She shook her head irritatedly and pulled a plastic sack out of her coat pocket. "Alright, you lot. Get over here and strip."

"P-pardon?!" Wright choked.

"Oh, not like _that,_ you silly thing." Dr. Bolysm grinned coquettishly at the blushing defense lawyer. "I'm a bit too old for that sort of ridiculousness, especially not with my hip. A crying shame, though. You _are_ my type, Spiky."

"... type?" Wright looked pale.

"Oh, if I were forty years younger, single, and my hip were better... I'd _ruin_ you."

" _Wh-What?!"_

"Oh my god, Dr. Bolysm." Maya blenched in mortification as the doctor laughed roisterously while Wright proceeded to duck behind Edgeworth for protection. "Why do you do this...?"

"Because I'm 63, I'm bored, and I don't give a flying fruity fudge nugget about much anymore." chortled Dr. Bolysm. "Now then, ladies, if you would dump your gloves in here, I'd appreciate it. Just don't touch the blood with your bare skin."

"She's... she's joking, right?" Wright whispered in a panic to Edgeworth as Ema and Maya peeled off their gloves and deposited them into Dr. Bolysm's sack. "Tell me she's joking."

"No, I don't think she is." Edgeworth murmured back. "You seem to have gained yourself a fan."

"But I don't _want_ a fan~!"

"Welcome to my world."

"Alright, you two, it's your turn." Dr. Bolysm shook the plastic sack at them. "In the bag with your gloves, if you please. Hurry up, we haven't got all day."

Both lawyers yanked their gloves off, dropped them inside the bag and stepped back again, though Wright kept a much wider berth of the doctor than Edgeworth did.

"This is everyone's?" Dr. Bolysm looked around for any stray gloves to make sure none were missed. "Good."

She then reached into her pocket, retrieved what looked like a package of salt, ripped it open, and threw the contents forcefully into the bag.

" _Out! Out, foul demon!"_ She shouted into the air and shook the bag like she was applying dressing to a cup salad. "This blood is not for you! So get back from whence thee came, you foul, deceiving punisher of innocent souls! Stay in thine prison or risk the wrath of the Feys once more! We shall not abide your presence here in this world, nor shall we be persecuted in the next!"

"Has Dr. Bolysm lost it?" Ema hissed to Maya.

"You're implying she ever had it." murmured Edgeworth.

"No, she's just driving something out." Maya whispered back. "What, I've got no clue. They don't exactly go around labeling things for the tourists."

"Well, that should do it for the gloves." Dr. Bolysm nodded to herself once she stopped shaking the bag. "That's them done. Now, onto the puddles."

"Um, excuse me." Ema raised a hand. "Not to be rude or anything, but what did you do that for?"

"What, this?" Dr. Bolysm held up the baggie with the salted gloves. "To purify the gloves. This room is already a ticking time bomb and I'm not letting these go all over the place as they please. It's too much of a risk."

"Why is it a ticking time bomb?" asked Ema.

"Because of the blood." Dr. Bolysm pocketed the baggie filled with gloves and waved at them to get out of her way. "Move, move. I have to neutralize the puddles next. We can't let him get any ideas."

"Him?"

Dr. Bolysm pointed to the corroded sword in the center of the room before she pulled out another pouch of salt and threw handfuls on each puddle.

"The sword?" Wright's nose wrinkled. "What's so special about that thing? Can it smell blood like a shark?"

"Oho, finally a perceptive one." Dr. Bolysm smiled at Wright. "Nice to see you're more than just a pretty face, Spiky. The Murdering Malice is indeed drawn to blood like a fly to sugar, and when blood is spilt, he isn't far behind."

Wright blanched.

"But I was just joking-"

"I wasn't."

Edgeworth's eyes fell to half mast.

'The Murdering Malice'?

Now _that_ was a dramaturgical name if ever there was one.

Maya, however, did not seem to share his sentiment.

"The Murdering Malice?" Her eyes grew unsettlingly round. "Are... are you serious, Dr. Bolysm? Is that really _it?"_

"Yes, it is." said Dr. Bolysm. "So don't touch, whatever you do. Better yet, all of you stay over there while I deal with this, and Mystic Maya, get yourself behind one of the broad shouldered ones. They should suffice as a decent body barrier if he decides to come out and play."

Neither Wright, nor Edgeworth, looked pleased at being reduced to the status of a meat shield.

"I take it you have heard of this sword before, Maya?" Edgeworth spared Maya a placid glance.

"Yeah, you could say that." Though she was trying her best to keep herself together, it was clear that Maya was shocked. "I've heard of it before, but I never thought it would be in the village proper, and certainly not three stories underneath Pearly's bedroom. Hey, which one of you has broader shoulders?"

Edgeworth and Wright appraised each other.

"Edgeworth does." said Wright.

"Okay, good to know. I'll be sure to duck behind him, then."

"Thanks for that." Edgeworth glared at Wright.

Wright shrugged.

"What? You do. So that sword's called the Murdering Malice, huh?" He sized up the sword and whistled through his teeth. "Cheery name."

"It's not the name of the sword, Spiky. It's named for the demon that's sealed inside it."

Edgeworth's eyebrow arched.

Oh, so there was a _demon_ now?

Fantastic.

"A demon?" repeated Wright, just as incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"Wright, don't encourage her." frowned Edgeworth.

"Oh, but I am. Sealed inside that sword is a heartless, ruthless, monstrous demon, capable of rendering anyone asunder with just one stroke of his will." Dr. Bolysm cheerily pocketed the empty salt pouch. "As a matter of fact, we have a story about the Murdering Malice that is told frequently to the children of this village to warn them of his misdeeds and the threat he poses to Fey life. Have you heard it, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Not as such." said Edgeworth.

"What about you, Spiky?"

"Can't say that I have." said Wright.

"Young lady?"

"No, I haven't either." Ema replied.

"Really? _Well_ , you all don't know what you're missing." Dr. Bolysm beamed, pleased that she had an audience, if an albeit reluctant and slightly captive one. "A tale of obsession, jealousy, persecution, deception, betrayal, murder and retribution, it's a Fey classic, regularly told to the children before bed."

"You... tell the kids a story about a murdering demon lord before they go to bed?" Wright blinked in disbelief. "And they go to _sleep_ after that?"

"Oh, yes. They all sleep like drunken men after a bender; out like little lights. Well, that, or they faint. So, you all seem interested in hearing the story, so I suppose there's nothing for it. Hang onto your proverbial hats, this is going to get harrowing-"

"As thrilling as I'm sure the tale is," Edgeworth interrupted tersely, being in no mood for made up stories or anyone recounting them. "We have an investigation to continue, an autopsy report to receive, numerous people to interview and a murderer to apprehend, so-"

"-I'm a bit rusty at storytelling, but I will give this some extra gusto since you all have never heard the story before, excluding Mystic Maya, of course. So, if you will direct your attention to the inlaid painted murals on the walls starting back in the far left corner, we'll be able to get this tale underway."

"I don't think she's listening, Mr. Edgeworth." murmured Ema as Dr. Bolysm crossed the room towards the first of the murals.

"So it would seem."

"Uh oh." Wright whispered apprehensively. "Somebody get the 'All-Night' mask or we'll be out for the count for sure."

"Nick, this isn't one of your video games. Shh."

"Now then, this is the tale of the Murdering Malice, otherwise known as the Last Rite of Ami Fey." Dr. Bolysm pointed her stick upwards towards the first of the murals. "Long ago, long before any of us trod upon this earth, there lived the great Ami Fey. Ami Fey was a spirit medium of substantial power and talent who possessed the unusual ability of being able to channel spirits from beyond the grave so that they might once again walk among the living."

Dr. Bolysm pointed to the depiction of Ami Fey, covered in her acolyte's robes, calling what looked like a spirit back from the twilight realm.

"However, it was because of her power that she was forced to leave her homeland, the Kingdom of Khura'in. By decree of their national religion, Khura'inism insists that the only one who can possess the ability to channel spirits is their Queen, those in her line and no one else. However, Ami Fey not only matched the Queen with her abilities, she surpassed them beyond compare and humiliated the Queen in front of a foreign dignitary when she found herself unable to conjure his predecessor and Ami could."

The stick directed their eyes to a rendering of Ami Fey being shown to out-channel a regal looking woman with an elaborate headdress.

"It is said that to be Queen, one must be able to channel spirits without peer, and as such, the Queen viewed Ami Fey to be a serious threat to her rule. As a result, she wished to nip this pretender to her throne in the bud and rallied both the citizenry and the militia to destroy Ami Fey. Accepting that she had no other choice but to leave or face the executioner's axe, Ami Fey, along with her most devoted students from across Khura'in, fled from the kingdom to seek a new life in a new land, a land where they would be free from persecution and free to practice their trade without fear of harm."

"That's how the Fey clan emigrated." whispered Maya. "It was kind of a 'do or die' situation."

"How was Ami Fey able to channel spirits if she wasn't in the royal family?" asked Ema. "I remember Prosecutor Sahdmadhi mentioned you have to be related to the Holy Mother in order to be able to channel spirits at all."

"This story takes place countless years after the Holy Mother founded the Kingdom of Khura'in. It is said that both Ami Fey and the royal family were descended from the Holy Mother, though because so many years had rifted apart their generations, they were nigh unrecognizable to each other. They had a common ancestor, but were no more related than Spiky over there and yours truly."

"So it's like how everyone with blue eyes has a common ancestor, but intermarriages between blue eyed people usually pose no risk of inbreeding." said Edgeworth. "The recessive trait is there, but that is all that binds them."

"Exactly. Well done, Mr. Owl."

"Okay, so the Queen got her way and chucked them all out, and Ami Fey and her bunch got to live somewhere else." Wright summed it up so far with a contemplative frown while Edgeworth glared at the doctor for the avian title bestowed upon his personage. "It sounds to me like everybody got what they wanted in the end."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" said Dr. Bolysm. "Unfortunately, that was not the case. The Queen was not satisfied with having just driven her competition away. She was still raw from her defeat at the hands of Ami Fey, and that sore desire to see her destroyed led her to make the direst of deals."

The next mural depicted the Queen standing above a ledge overlooking a summoning circle that erupted fire like a geyser crossed with a flame thrower.

"From the depths of Hell, she conjured a demon to her service, a fearsome creature capable of no remorse, no compassion and no rectitude, to persecute the Feys until nary a medium remained."

The following mural caused all of them, including Edgeworth, to sharply intake breath.

Out from the circle emerged a grotesque, vicious demon with two black horns atop his head, pearly white fangs curling upwards and downwards out of his mouth like sickles, and a mouth carved into a sinister grin. His skin was bloodstain crimson and stretched overtop bulging muscles, the irises of his eyes glowed just as red as his skin, a mop of messy black hair sat atop its gnarled head and, even though Edgeworth would've never admitted it, all the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as the carving leered at them all with a smile nothing short of baleful.

"Oh... oh my." Ema clapped a hand to her cheek. "He looks properly terrifying, doesn't he?"

"A real charmer." agreed Wright, who looked rather pale.

"I'm loving the fangs, myself." commented Maya from underneath Edgeworth's coat.

"I see he has a sword." Edgeworth gestured to the sword clutched in the demon's clawed hand. "What would a demon need a sword for?"

Dr. Bolysm smiled.

"This demon was... a slightly different kind than the ones you might imagine. He chose to toy with his victims first, to let them think they had a chance to withstand his wrath, and then took great joy when the realization of what was about to happen dawned on them. He thrived off their despair and then, when he'd had his fun, he would strike them down with his sword, cleaving their hopes in twain along with their heads from their bodies. He truly was a malicious murderer, hence his name, the 'Murdering Malice'."

"Why did the demon agree to help the Queen?" asked Ema. "He doesn't sound like an agreeable sort."

"This demon had long since been in service to do the Queen's dirty work prior to this incident with Ami Fey, so there was a precedent already set. He also had run afoul of Ami Fey in the past, and sought vengeance against her for his defeat at her hands. It was in his interest to help the Queen, though he did not care for her petty squabbles. He only sought his own retribution, not that of hers. However, as the Queen did not care why he helped her so long as he did, she allowed him free rein to chase the Feys down and eradicate their leader, Ami Fey."

"He persecuted the Feys no matter where they fled." Dr. Bolysm's walking stick indicated the mural showing the demon hounding down what looked like a miniature army of Pearls, all scared looking and bedecked in channeler's garb. "He never rested in his pursuit of the clan. He chased them from country to country, over mountains, through deserts, across the sea, and, due to his relentless nature, he always managed to catch at least one Fey no matter where they went and send them back to Khura'in for punishment."

"He sent them back?" Ema looked surprised. "He didn't kill them?"

"No. His main goal was to hunt down Ami Fey and seek revenge against her personally. He wasn't one to deal with paltry matters such as squishing the 'ants' one by one; his main goal was the queen, not the workers. The stragglers he caught were sent back to the Kingdom of Khura'in to face their fates for the treasonous act against the crown of siding with what the Queen called a 'pretender to the throne'. Upon their capture, those followers were never seen again by Fey eyes."

"So they ended up dying, anyway." Wright murmured uncomfortably. "Yeesh, this is getting dark."

"By the time Ami and what few followers she had left made it to Japan, the demon was hot on their trail and within a claw's grasp of capturing all of them for good. However, his efforts to find them were halted by a local lord named 'Atishon' who offered the Feys shelter in exchange for their services as spirit channelers. They readily agreed and when the demon came to call, the lord drove him away, telling him that his jurisdiction ended there and not to follow the Feys any longer, lest he fear the wrath of the local militia."

"'Atishon'? You don't mean that ass with the palanquin, do you?" Ema glared at the drawing of the lord allowing sanctuary to the Feys within his domain.

"If you mean the house of Atishon, they are a very respectable family with much clout among the village for their years of confederation with the Feys." said Dr. Bolysm. "As for Paul Atishon- Wimperson, he is what one would call 'the village idiot'. He's always ridden on his grandfather's coattails and, let's just say, he didn't improve with age."

"Yeah, we met him." glared Wright. "He was a real nightmare."

"Very true. That noise he generated was absolutely miserable. He woke up the patients with all that racket, so I had Phil throw a rock at him."

"Did it get him?"

"Phil has excellent aim." smiled Dr. Bolysm. "So, where was I- _Oh!_ I remember. In response to the resistance, the demon was absolutely furious at the refusal to hand over the Feys. How dare this lord come between him and his objective of destroying Ami Fey? Still, as much as he wished to rip this man in two for this slight, the demon was cunning. He pretended to acquiesce the lord's orders and leave the village in defeat, so quelling the concerns of the remaining Feys that their days were numbered."

"For a month, the demon bided his time and watched the Feys flourish under the false veil of security within their new home until an opportunity arose that he could use to his advantage."

"And arise it did."

Dr. Bolysm's stick moved to the next panel, which showed a painting of a beautiful young acolyte with long black hair, bangs, and two yellow flowers tucked behind her right ear offering her prayers along with Ami Fey as the demon watched fervently in the background, his fangs glinting white against the wooden backdrop.

"Among the number of Feys that still were with Ami, there was an acolyte that caught the demon's eye. This acolyte was decidedly gifted in her spiritual ways, but as is the case with youth, she was also remarkably naive about the ways of the world, particularly where men were concerned. Therein laid the opportunity the demon sought."

"Every day, the maiden would walk from the Fey conclave up in the mountains to the village proper to gather supplies. The demon waited patiently for the maiden to make her daily trip as she did every day, and then, as soon as he saw her leave the sanctuary built by the Feys, he sprung his trap into action. Taking the guise of a handsome young man, the demon took his sword in his hand and gravely injured himself."

"What? Why would he do that?" asked Ema.

"The demon knew that the acolyte was a very kind creature who would never turn away anyone who was in need, no matter who they were or if she knew them. So, when the maiden heard his cries of pain, she came rushing to his aid, just as he planned." Dr. Bolysm gestured onwards to the next mural, one that had the maiden with the yellow flowers in her hair offering her aid to the demon in disguise, now a handsome man with red eyes, white teeth and black hair that almost had a purplish tint to it. "Fearful of the wounds' serious nature, the maiden hid him inside a shed outside the village of the lord and tended his wounds everyday."

"That sounds exceedingly foolish." muttered Edgeworth. "She shouldn't have done that."

"And yet she did." Maya murmured back. "It always amazes me how often this trick works, even in real life. It's not just white vans with bubble mirrors you have to watch out for these days."

"During that time, the demon praised and complimented her for her beauty, her kindness and her talent, and asked to see the powers of the Feys firsthand for he had never witnessed such majesty before in his years. Remembering the warnings of her teacher to never reveal spiritual power to strangers of any kind, the maiden did refuse his request at first, but the more and more she visited him and the more he continued to woo her, the less and less the maiden recalled the warning. Eventually, the maiden became so besotted with him, her infatuation became too much to bear and she unleashed her spiritual power for him to see in an attempt to win his affection."

"Then, with her raw energy exposed, the demon took his chance and drained her dry."

"'He drained her dry'? I though you said he was a demon, not a vampire." Wright's nose wrinkled. "How'd he go about doing that? It's not like you can just go about squeezing people like they're oranges for their juice."

"Actually... you can, Nick." Maya corrected. "It's just... he didn't drain her dry by drinking her blood or anything. Once he got a hold of her spiritual energy's signature, the demon... he basically sucked all of the energy out of her, like siphoning gas from a neighbor's engine tank."

"That's possible?" gaped Wright.

"Unfortunately, yes, it is." nodded Maya. "It's not pleasant, but it is an effective way to get your hands on a lot of spiritual energy really quickly if you know how to do it. You see, it takes years to build up that kind of spiritual power in a high quantity. Years, Nick. Some might start out with more than others, but training is important to everyone because it fills up the body with spiritual power. Some can hold their energy better than others, which decides how much power a medium can sustain, but it's the training that fills up the tank. For example, remember during Mr. Edgeworth's trial when I couldn't call Sis to help you? My tank was almost empty because I hadn't been training."

"And that is why you went back to the mountains afterwards to start your training again?" asked Edgeworth; he'd heard about her leave of absence at Wright's office from Gumshoe at the time.

"Yep. Then, lo and behold, after I did some training, I could channel again. It's pretty much like that. I just stopped off at a spiritual gas station, filled up the tank, and off I went."

"So why didn't he just do that?" asked Ema. "The demon, I mean."

"Even if he had the time or the ability to do so, he would't have been able to get to the mediums. Ami Fey had been given a compound much like the one you stand in now in order to keep her disciples safe. Along with a series of strict laws of entry, she also erected a spiritual barrier that was only passable to those whose spiritual energies she deemed worthy, sort of like how a retina scanner will allow only those registered in its databases to pass through certain doors."

"Like the Prosecutors' offices." Maya whispered to Edgeworth.

"Yes, I got the analogy." Edgeworth murmured back. "You needn't spell it out."

"So, what do you do when you're faced with a door that's sealed with a retina scanner and your eyes aren't in the database?" Dr. Bolysm turned to her audience. "Any guesses?"

"I've got an idea." Wright raised his hand, though his pallor was quite green. "Get an eye that is, Loki style."

"Precisely. So, the demon drained the maiden dry of her spiritual power, summoned his army of goblins and ghouls, and stormed the compound. The barrier did nothing to stop them once he opened it for his horde and they flooded inside." The doctor pointed to a bloody depiction of a battle between the demon with his unearthly horde and the Feys. "The Feys were faced with a choice: either stand and fight, or run once more. Ami Fey, though she wished to not spill any blood that day, decided they had run long enough and it was time to end this once and for all. So, the Feys engaged him in a battle that lasted half a day, but the war ended with their eventual defeat."

The next mural held a depiction of the Feys in captivity, while the demon, now back in his original design, laughed at them.

"They were cornered with nowhere to go, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The demon had won. Pleased his plan had gone without a hitch, he prepared to make plans to contact the Queen in order to ship the remaining Feys back to Khura'in where she would render her judgment upon them while he himself dispatched Ami Fey personally." said Dr. Bolysm. "The only Fey not caught up in this struggle was the maiden, still lying in the shed back at the village. Grief stricken and heartbroken, the acolyte alerted the local militia, and rushed to aid the clan with them at her heels. With their help, the maiden managed to free the Feys from their prisons, but she was caught by the demon, who was on his way to slay Ami Fey."

The mural following the last showed the demon, no longer laughing, but apoplectic with rage, and the maiden was airborne for some odd reason.

"Furious at the prospect of losing what had taken so long to achieve, the demon acted out of anger and flung the maiden from a stairwell, where, upon impact, her neck broke, and she died instantly."

"Oh, god..." muttered Wright while Edgeworth grimaced in distaste and Maya buried herself further underneath the coat she was wearing.

"That's... not a nice way to go." Ema rubbed at her own neck.

"However, that moment of distraction proved to be the demon's downfall. He was attacked by both the militia and the clan and, with their combined efforts, he was subdued, his forces wiped out, and he was brought before the lord of the village." Dr. Bolysm's stick gestured towards the mural directly below it, where both the village militia and the Feys had restrained the demon with metal chains and warding streamers much like the ones adorning the ceiling.

"At the recommendation of Ami Fey, the lord passed his judgment upon the demon and turned him over to the Fey clan to be dealt with accordingly." said Dr. Bolysm. "Knowing full well that if allowed to escape, the demon would report to the Queen with news of their location, Ami Fey decided that she would make sure that never came to pass. The safety of her beloved disciples was at stake."

"Therefore, as retribution for not only persecuting the Feys to lands beyond their home, but the murder of her most beloved student as well, Ami Fey conducted a forbidden rite and imprisoned the demon inside his own sword." The stick drew their line of sight to the final mural, one that showed the demon, his body ensnared by sealing charms, being sealed inside the blade that held a distinct resemblance to the one in the center of the room. "Ami lost her life in the act, but in order to keep her clan safe, she made the ultimate sacrifice and sealed him within the blade you see here."

"However, just before he was sealed within, the demon swore vengeance. He declared that he would never rest until the Feys were undone, no matter how long it took, and he's still inside that sword to this day, waiting for his chance to break free and rain judgment upon those with Fey blood coursing through their veins."

"So, with her final act of sacrifice, Ami Fey made it so the Fey clan could flourish without fear of persecution at the hands of the Queen of Khura'in and never again were they troubled by her or her ilk." Dr. Bolysm tapped her walking stick on the wooden floor three times. "That ends the tale of the Murdering Malice, or the Last Rite of Ami Fey. The moral of the story is fairly simple. Stay loyal to the clan, do what you have to must in order to keep the clan safe from outside threats, and don't let strange handsome men play around with your spiritual energy, no matter how much they might flatter you or what they may offer."

Silence filled the sword chamber.

"Soooo, what did you think?" Dr. Bolysm looked at them all expectantly and swayed back and forth, a smug grin adorning her wrinkly face. "It's quite the story, don't you think?"

Nobody spoke, but everyone's thoughts were splattered all over their faces.

Ema looked pale.

Wright looked like he was in pain.

Maya looked sheepish.

Edgeworth looked annoyed.

Dr. Bolysm pursed her lips.

"... okay, I'm getting mixed signals over here, so feel free to share. Spiky, you go first."

Wright opened his mouth, but instead of words coming out, he drew in a deep gasp, seized up and crumpled onto the floor in a twitching mess.

Everybody stared at him.

"... that wasn't the reaction I wanted."

* * *

(A/N- Hmm, it seems the plot's thickened somewhat. What shall become of it, I wonder? Only time, and I, will tell. Well, anyway, my cryptic musings aside, thank you all so much for the slew of feedback, comments, reviews and press I've been getting lately. I'm absolutely blown away by the response I received for last chapter and, though I know I've said as much before in previous author's notes, it doesn't change the fact that I'm truly thankful for everyone's feedback and highly appreciate that you all took the time to do so. So, anyway, thank you again for reading and please review!)


	12. Killer Testimony

Chapter Twelve: Killer Testimony

"How's Wright's condition?" Edgeworth peered over the top of the file marked 'Blue Star Train Personnel' when Maya slipped through the crack in the doorframe into the makeshift office Ema had arranged for his use. "Has he improved at all?"

"Not so you'd notice." Maya shut the door behind her and clicked it into place. "Dr. Bolysm shoved him into an MRI and it turns out Nick's got a herniated disc that's going to town on his back. Dr. Bolysm's decided to keep him comfortable with some muscle relaxers until she can get him scheduled in for a surgery either at the Fey clinic or another hospital, depending on, and I quote 'wherever she can bully a surgeon into doing it the quickest'."

"I had no idea Wright's back was in such disrepair." said Edgeworth, slightly perturbed at how precarious Wright's health had become. Aging was a tightrope walk at best, but he never expected someone as tenacious as Wright to suffer from such a parlous affliction.

"Nor did he." said Maya unhappily. "Nick didn't like the idea of going under the knife and said as much, but after seeing the results, I don't think there's an option now. It's really bad."

"How bad, precisely?"

"I don't think you want to know the details. It's pretty gross."

"I assure you I will live."

"Well... alright. If you say so. Imagine, if you will, a jelly donut that's been squished flat by a jackboot, all of it's fruity goo squirting out of its body like a squashed bug on the windshield of a van going ninety-"

"Alright, that's enough." What remained of Edgeworth's appetite fled for the hills. "You may cease your description."

"See? I told you it was gross." Maya rested her hand against her cheek. "You're lucky you only heard the second hand story. I got the play-by-play analysis from Dr. Bolysm. I have to hand it to Nick, though. Even with his nasty back being the way it is, he still wanted to come back and help us out with this case. He said it was pointless to just stick around when he could be out doing something useful for the investigation."

"His tenacity is commendable."

"Yeah, and highly unpopular with Dr. Bolysm. So, now he's in a coma, drooling on his shirt. Serum number 16 strikes again."

"He'll be out of commission for a while, then." Edgeworth readjusted the papers in his hands and resumed reading them. "I just hope I wasn't nearly that undignified while under the influences of that sedative."

"You weren't much better, but you weren't wearing a shirt at the time, so there wasn't anywhere for the saliva to soak." said Maya. "So, what's that you're reading?"

"Some supplementary material I requested." said Edgeworth. "The detective is going to bring the other materials I need in order to makes sense of this case soon, so I'm keeping myself occupied for the time being with the personnel records for the train staff."

"Does that mean you have an idea on what's going on, then?" Maya asked curiously. "A lead on our culprit?"

"I have a theory I'm following, but I'm not going to adhere myself to anything just yet until all the facts have been accounted for." Edgeworth set down one paper and picked up the next. "The crime scene investigation is completed, but I've yet to conduct the majority of the interviews and I'm just now going over the reports from the forensic analysis, so it's still too relatively early to say."

"Well, at least that's something. The forensics team looked positively exhausted when I saw them leaving the crime scene. Frankly, I'm amazed they still had any oomph left in them to process it after they dragged Nick up that staircase. He's not what I'd call a heavy hitter on the scales, but dead weight is still dead weight. Even carrying around a little kid that's out for the count isn't a walk in the park."

"It's no wonder to me why they are all enervated. Everyone has been working around the clock with the double homicide, not to mention the incident at the Prosecutors' office, so they were bound to become bereft of energy sooner or later. That's why I told them to wrap up their investigation and resume it in the morning."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Edgeworth glanced up from the file.

"Aren't you going to stop for the night too?" asked Maya. "It's gotten pretty late and you just got out of the hospital. If you push yourself too hard, you'll get sick and then you'll join Nick and Pearly in the clinic and I doubt Dr. Bolysm will just let you leave."

"There's work to be done, so no. I have no intention of stopping now." Edgeworth reached for the second file, this one entitled 'Train Scene Forensic Results' and flipped it open. "I'm well versed in this sort of workload, so I know my limits. If you feel the need to henpeck someone, you'd do better to focus your efforts on Wright. He's the one currently at the mercy of the doctor, who appears to have taken a shine to him. I wonder about his safety."

"Oh, pssh. He'll be alright." Maya stretched her arms behind her back and smiled. "Dr. Bolysm likes to talk a good game, but she only ruffles feathers for her own twisted amusement. This isn't a case of Oldbag syndrome. She was just teasing him."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Dr. Bolysm's a happily married lady and has been for ages." Maya snagged a chair from the corner of the sitting room and dragged it over to the desk. "She's actually one of the only Fey ladies whose marriage worked out. Mind you, it was the second one, but it lasted, so who can really scoff? She also takes great pride in her work, so professionalism trumps a good laugh every time. Nick'll be just fine under her care. So, what's next on the agenda for tonight?"

"Mostly paperwork and interviews, but why do you ask?" Edgeworth raised a questioning brow. "As you already pointed out, the hour is waning fast. Shouldn't you be retiring for the evening?"

"If you're going to stay up, then so will I." Maya squished the chair right next to his, sat down, and craned her neck around his arm so she could see the file in his hands. "You're only in this mess because I asked you to help me out and it wouldn't be very fair of me to just ditch you to do all the dirty work on your own."

"You needn't bother with that. I can handle this on my own." Edgeworth pursed his mouth into a thin line; he couldn't see the document with her head in the way.

"I didn't say you couldn't. However, I am going to lend a hand so it's finished faster and everybody can get some sleep, which you and I both need. So, I'm very sorry to have to break it to you, but you're just going to have to deal." Maya unapologetically gave his arm a pat. "Besides, what kind of person would I be if I just left you to tackle all this on your own?"

"A typical one." Edgeworth gently pushed the side of her head out of his line of sight with two fingers.

"Tch, who ever said I was typical?" perked Maya, who didn't seem at all fussed at being maneuvered out of the way. "Okay, let's get started. What's the evidence say about the train car? Did you get anything new from the crime scene?"

"Yes, but I highly doubt you are going to like it. If you will direct your attention here," Edgeworth underlined several lines of text on the forms with the same two fingers he'd used to remove her head from in between his view and the papers. "I ordered a complete analysis of the oxygen canisters you and Detective Skye found earlier in the train's storage compartment, and a series of fingerprints were lifted from them and then identified-"

"Really? Score." Maya punched the air. "That's means we're one step closer to the killer-"

"If you would let me finish, the prints were found to belong to Pearl Fey, so you may wish to retract your previous statement."

Maya's sunny expression instantly grew grim.

"Pearly's prints?"

"Yes." Edgeworth indicated the report again. "Pearl's fingerprints were found on the canisters in the train car. We also found them on the door to the storage closet, inside the storage compartment and all over the train compartment itself. Why, no one can say for certain, but there's no mistaking the prints are Pearl's. I've had them checked thrice."

"That's really strange." Maya's brows creased worriedly as she mulled over the documents in his hand while her chin rested on his forearm. "What about the lighter found in the vent? Were her prints on that, too?"

"Pearl's prints were not found on that in particular, though an unidentified print was present on what remained of the lighter." Edgeworth closed the file with the hand attached to the arm that didn't have Maya's head weighing it in place. "I think I may have figured out to whom that belongs, but the mounting evidence suggests that Pearl was inside the train compartment before it exploded and had something to do with the empty canisters. That much we cannot deny."

"You don't actually suspect Pearly, do you?" Maya lifted her head off of his arm. "Pearly can't even squish bugs. She wouldn't kill anyone-"

"The facts as they stand point to Pearl being a suspect." said Edgeworth curtly. "As far as we know because I haven't had the chance to interview her, she doesn't have an alibi for the time of the train compartment going up in flames, nor does she have one for when Mrs. Voyant died, and she was found at the scene of the second murder. She had the opportunity to commit both crimes."

"She doesn't have a motive or means, though." rebuked Maya. "Don't you need three things for it to be a match? We don't know what the murder weapon was yet, so who can say if she had the means, and name one motive Pearly would have to murder Mrs. Voyant or anybody on that train. I can't think of a single reason why she would do such a thing, and unless you can figure out a reason why, that ship won't sail past the first day in court."

True to her point, Edgeworth couldn't come up with a motive that might have driven Pearl over the brink, but even without a motive, the evidence spoke volumes.

A knock at the door, however, broke them out of their discussion.

"Enter." Edgeworth put the file down on the desk and looked at Maya warningly, who nodded and promptly ceased their conversation for another time.

Once given the go ahead, the door opened to admit Phil the junior doctor.

"Hi, Phil." Maya greeted the junior doctor in as friendly a manner as she could muster, though the circumstances of their last meeting had been nothing short of shocking. "How's Pearly doing? Is she going to be okay?"

"Miss Pearl'll be fine." Phil said stiffly. "She's a bit groggy from being clocked on the head, but she'll pull through alright. I stitched her up and now she's resting up safe and sound just like your boy the porcupine."

"Oh, that's such a relief." Maya exhaled gratefully. "Thank you so much, Phil. I don't know what I would've done if something'd happened to Pearly. I really owe you one. You'll let me know when I can go see her, won't you?"

"... yeah." Phil absently fidgeted with the bracelet on his wrist. "She's lucky, in any case. If she'd been hit just a little differently, I don't know if she'd have made it. However, until she wakes up, I can't allow any visitors. It's for her safety, so I hope you understand."

"I gotcha. I'm just happy she'll be okay. She's really fortunate you got there when you did, Phil." praised Maya. "Who knows what could've happened had you not been there."

"Yeah... who knows."

"Phil, is something wrong? You're not acting like yourself." Maya's eyes narrowed. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just tired." Phil ran a hand over his face. "It's been a long day, that's all. I'm not as young as I used to be and it's taking its toll." Edgeworth snorted. That was putting things mildly. The junior doctor's broad shoulders drooped slackly against his body, his scrubs were smeared with bloodstains that likely belonged to Pearl, his white coat was ripped, and his handsome face was drawn into a careworn scowl.

"Phil, you're twenty five. That's hardly old." Maya said in a bid to cheer him up. "Hey, do you want to talk about it? I've got the time if you do."

"Nah, I'm good." Phil angled Edgeworth with a contemptuous look, but didn't speak further.

"Then, is there something else you need, Doctor?" Edgeworth inquired placidly; had he done something in particular to warrant the doctor's ire? "Or have you just decided to stand there as part of the decor?"

Phil's scowl deepened and he shoved a hand into his white coat's pocket.

"Yeah. The autopsy report for Mrs. Voyant came back and I was told to deliver it." He fished out the envelope and handed it to Maya. "I'm running errands on top of everything else, so here you go. Use it, burn it, eat it, I don't care. Just take it."

"Phil... are you _sure_ you're alright?" Maya handed the file off to Edgeworth.

"I'm fine, Mystic Maya." Phil attempted one of his cheeky grins from earlier, but ended up just looking gassy. "You don't need to fuss over little ol' me, so I'll just let you get back to doing whatever it was you were and-"

"If that's the case, Doctor, then I require something of you." Edgeworth skimmed the new file and set it down on the desk.

"And what's that?" Phil's yellow eyes flashed in his direction. "I've got a lot to get back to, so can we be quick about this? I haven't got time to play right now."

"I need to speak with you."

"What about?"

"I am in the process of drawing testimonies from witnesses about the crime and you are a witness."

"How'd you figure that?" Phil demanded coldly.

"Other than the young lady named Mercy, you were the first one at the scene. As such, you could have seen something of note that may shed light on the truth of this case." Edgeworth pointed at him. "So, I need to speak with you on the matter and get an official statement. Surely if Pearl is in such stable condition, you can spare us a few minutes of your time to clear the story surrounding Mrs. Voyant's death."

Phil's scowl shifted from contemptuous to downright unpleasant.

"No."

Edgeworth stared at him.

" _I beg your pardon?"_

"I said no. Nope. Nada. Not doing it. Too bad. So sorry, but not really." Phil chirped flippantly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some patients that need tending. See ya."

He then strode to the door, pulled it open with one swift yank, and left.

"Well, that went well." Maya stated once the door slammed shut. "And here I thought your issues with witnesses stopped with just getting them to say their names and occupations- Mr. Edgeworth, if you keep up that frowning, birds are going to nest in those furrows."

"Maya," Edgeworth reached under his glasses and pressed firmly on the sore spots cored into the bridge of his nose by the nose pads. "I need his testimony. Is there any way you can think of that would get him to cooperate that doesn't involve me having his hide arrested for obstruction of justice and all around jackassery?"

"There's always Dr. Bolysm." Maya suggested. "I can call her and see what she can do."

"Good. Please do that, then. I would like to solve this case while avoiding snippiness if at all possible. Simply put, I'm not in the mood."

"That doesn't shock me. Hey, Mr. Edgeworth... you aren't _really_ going to have Pearly arrested, are you?"

Edgeworth briefly stopped rubbing at the marks on his nose and glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Maya, I cannot turn a blind eye to the facts, even if they point me in a direction you find distasteful. Justice isn't something one gets to edit to suit themselves. Doing so is how people become like Von Karma. However, until I have all the facts of this case, I am not going to issue an indictment. That would be acting rashly and I like to have my facts verified before I pursue an arrest."

"You also don't want to arrest Pearly because Nick'd take on the case in a heartbeat and you'd lose in about five minutes."

Edgeworth didn't reply.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." smiled Maya. "Okay, so if Phil's not yet roped into this rodeo, who's next on the interview list?"

"I have issued a summons for our first interviewee, but you may wish to leave the room during that time." said Edgeworth. "In fact, this might be a prime time for you to make that call to the doctor."

"What? Why?" Maya's cheek puffed out.

"It may become uncomfortable for you to witness."

Before Maya got the chance to ask what he meant by that, the door knocked again.

"Enter." said Edgeworth.

The door swung open, but this time it didn't admit Phil the uncooperative junior doctor.

"Mr. Edgeworth." 'Mr. Doe' bowed to Edgeworth and then did the same to Maya. "Miss Fey. I was requested to come to this place for an interview concerning the events of today and last night. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is. Please, come in." Edgeworth beckoned him inside and gestured for him to take a seat in the chair before the ancient desk he'd claimed as his own. "Have a seat and we will get this underway."

"I do not see why this warrants further discussion." 'Doe' shut the door behind him and did as Edgeworth instructed. "I have already given my statement about what happened during the train station explosion that occurred last night, and I don't believe that I left anything of particular import out of my disclosure."

"I will be the judge of that." Edgeworth replied coolly. "Now then, let us drop this charade and get right down to brass tacks."

"I do not understand what you mean, Mr. Edgeworth." said Doe.

"Oh, but I think you do." Edgeworth rested his forearms on the desktop and steepled his fingers. "Before we begin, I must let you know that there are no recording devices of any kind in this room, nor do I have any plans to disclose you who truly are to the police at this time."

Doe's eyebrows lifted a millimeter.

"What makes you so generous today, Mr. Chief Prosecutor?" asked Doe.

"Yeah, what makes you so generous?" whispered Maya.

"I know for a fact you are not responsible for the slaying of Mrs. Voyant, nor the train attendant, and therefore, in this case, you are a witness and nothing more." said Edgeworth. "As a witness, I need to speak to the real you, not the facade from behind which you are operating. You cannot speak freely without arousing suspicion in a regular environment, and, in this instance, I am willing to bend the rules in order to gain the information I seek."

" _You're_ bending the rules?" Maya gaped at him, almost a little impressed. _"You?"_

"Trust me, I take no pleasure in doing so and I'm not overly fond of myself right now." said Edgeworth. "Now then, Mr. Doe. Shall we dispense with the masquerade and get on with things?"

Though he had about as many facial expressions as a protagonist in a romance film aimed at lovelorn teenagers, Mr. Doe didn't look remotely convinced.

"What of your prior accusations of my dealings with the train station incident? You were quite quick to place the blame on my head, if you recall."

"I realized upon my search of the sword chamber that no card bearing a shell insignia was left at the scene of the murder. Had the killing been your doing, you would not have left without placing one to shift the blame away from your clients." said Edgeworth. "I suppose it's possible you were the culprit behind the train explosion and if there had been a card, it would have been burnt to a crisp, thus leaving no trace of your having been there, but, then again, if the culprit had been you, I doubt you would have reported the incident to the authorities so promptly. Implicating yourself at the scene when you were still there would be uncharacteristic of your known past methods of operation, not to mention highly stupid, which you are distinctly not."

"A discerning man to the last degree." said Doe.

"So, that leads me to the conclusion that as of yet, you have not dispatched anyone here at all. As for why you should trust me, I give you my word that as long as no murders that occurred here have been your doing, I shall keep my peace." Edgeworth inwardly swallowed down a vitriolic, self imposed lecture for this, but he had no choice but to bargain. "However, this agreement only lasts for the duration of this case. Do not expect such clemency in the future."

As far as Edgeworth was concerned, the next time he ran into this man, his neck was the formal property of the courts, a guilty verdict, and the noose.

"Y-you might as well tell him, y'know. He's just going to find out regardless." Maya attempted to back him up, but Edgeworth caught the pronounced wobble in her voice; she was properly terrified of this man. "Mr. Edgeworth never misses a trick, so there's no p-point in trying to hide anything from him, and he doesn't lie, so you know he won't go back on his word about the lack of devices and stuff, so... so you aren't going to lose anything by just doing what he wants. There's a murderer on the loose, so it's best for everyone if we find out who it is before somebody else dies and if we focus too much time on you, well... it might happen again."

Remarkably, Doe appeared to consider her point.

"... very well. You have made a decent argument, young lady. He does indeed know much and miss little, so I suppose I shall have to lift the veil ever so slightly." said Mr. Doe. "Alright, Mr. Chief Prosecutor. You may ask your questions. I trust you. However, I still have a duty to my client that I must fulfill and I do not intend to give away the identity of the client, nor what I have promised to carry out. Also, if you go back on your word, I hope you realize that my distaste for traitors runs far deeper than most care to swim."

It was common knowledge what became of anyone whom ran afoul of this particular man's bad graces.

They became stains on the pavement within a matter of hours afterwards.

"I wouldn't make such an offer if I wasn't intent on keeping it." Despite his stomach being riddled with butterflies, Edgeworth smirked confidently, took out the notebook from his waistcoat pocket, and turned to a new page. "Now then, if the witness will state his name and occupation."

"John Doe, manju salesman."

"Your _actual_ name and occupation, if you please." snorted Edgeworth.

"Oh, if you insist. Shelly de Killer, professional trained assassin."

"Thank you. Now then, Mr. de Killer, exactly why were you in Kurain village in the first place? Someone of your skill set is definitely out of place in a sleepy villa such as this. What caused you to travel so far out here?"

"I was called out here on business."

"I see. Please elaborate as much as you able about this 'business'."

"Very well. About two week ago, I received two requests on my website who were interested in procuring my services." said de Killer. "Upon agreeing to the terms, I came to the place specified in the perimeters of the task, which just so happened to be Kurain Village."

"What were the nature of these requests?" asked Edgeworth. "Were they standard requests that you were asked to fulfill in your line of work?"

"Yes and no." de Killer's whole body swayed slightly from side to side in thought like his ice cream cone used to do during the international incident involving the president of Zheng Fa and the death of a bodyguard. "The first one was a standard request, an assassination appeal of a fairly simple order, but the second one was not. It was... far stranger than that."

"Who was the assassination target?" Edgeworth inquired sharply.

"I never speak of the targets's identities. That would be breaking my code of trust with my clients." said de Killer. "However, it is as you said. I never fulfill a request without leaving a card to detract suspicion away from my clients, so I am not responsible for the old woman's death, nor of that of the train attendant. Still, it doesn't really matter who the target of that request was because I refused the request outright."

Edgeworth found himself taken aback.

Shelly de Killer screened his killings?

"Why?"

"I happened to be rather fond of the target, so I refused the appeal." said de Killer with an almost imperceivable smile. "Though it might shock you for you have never held such dark thoughts, I am allowed to pick and choose my clientele depending on more than just their trustworthiness. There aren't many trained assassins left for competition, so I assure you I am never short of work. I can afford to be picky."

"Well, well, who knew business was booming in the assassin industry?" Maya commented bleakly.

"It's a lucrative business in terms of the bottom line, though the means of production can make some squeamish. You would be amazed at the number of requests I receive on a monthly basis."

"No, sadly, I really wouldn't." said Edgeworth. "So, you didn't take the first request. Can I take that to mean you took the second?"

"You may." nodded de Killer.

"Then describe the nature of this second request."

De Killer thought for a minute.

"I suppose the best way to describe it would be 'odd'."

"Odd?" pressed Edgeworth. "In what way?"

"I think what struck me the most about it was that it wasn't an assassination request." de Killer said as he recalled the contents of the email.

"You weren't getting fan mail, were you?" Maya's nose wrinkled. "Because if you were, that's just creepy."

"No, no. Nothing of the sort, though I hate to say, I have in the past. People have a horrid tendency to glorify those whom they should not. It's a sad trait of human nature. In any case, the composer of the letter was merely asking of the nature of my skills offered, more specifically if all I did was assassinations. So I wrote back, explaining that while I was best known for assassinations, I've also done staged robberies, subterfuge, mutilation, disfigurement, torture, injuries, keying of cars, mangling, just to name a few of my services that they might wish to consider-"

'It's a true shame I can't use any of this against him.' Edgeworth thought bitterly to himself.

"-but for some reason, they weren't interested in those options at all. Instead, they wanted to know if I had ever protected anything before."

"Oh?" Edgeworth's interest piqued.

"The client explained they had a priceless artifact, a rare treasure of immense value and worth, nigh irreplaceable, and they needed it guarded because someone was planning to destroy it. Truthfully, I had never gotten such an innocent request before, so it intrigued me somewhat. Then, after meeting with the client and finding them to be a worthy individual that could be trusted with my services, we hashed out the terms of the deal and I agreed to protect the relic with all of my abilities."

"So you took on the job of a lionized security guard to protect an inanimate object." Edgeworth's eyebrow arched. "That sounds rather beneath you."

"Not as much as one would think. When the client introduced me to what was to be guarded, I realized immediately the full extent of the artifact's intrinsic value and why the client wanted it kept from harm. Its worth is incalculable."

"And you can't divulge what this item is?"

"Absolutely not. That would directly breach the code of trust with my client." said de Killer.

"Hmph. I see." Edgeworth glanced at Maya, who loomed just over his shoulder after she'd abandoned her chair to stand, probably, he suspected, to make herself seem bigger; her instincts were that of a puffer fish. "Maya, do you know of anything kept in Kurain Village that could warrant such a sum?"

"Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head." Maya wracked her brain for details. "The urn of Ami Fey holds a certain amount of cultural significance, but we found out upon appraisal that it's monetarily worthless ages ago."

"What else?"

"There's the statue of Ami Fey, but I doubt anybody'd really be able to do more than give it a few good dings. That statue's pretty heavy, so I don't think it'd be easy to completely destroy. There was also my, formerly extensive, 'Steel Samurai' collection, but I dunno if that counts."

Edgeworth spared her a flat look.

"I highly doubt anyone would pay a professional assassin to guard _that_ , regardless of its value to collectors."

"You never know, people have done weirder things. However, I think on this instance, you're right. _Oh,_ there's always the sword housing the Murdering Malice." Maya suggested suddenly. "That thing's really old and could be worth something. The hilt's inlaid with gold and silver, so that has the potential to be lucrative."

"Perhaps the client is Dr. Bolysm. She's probably the only one likely to hire someone of de Killer's clout to guard a silly sword just because of some ridiculous legend that holds no merit in reality whatsoever."

"You really didn't like that story, did you?"

"Of course not. That tale was utter rubbish." scoffed Edgeworth. "First off, if all of this happened in Japan, why is it here in the states? Secondly, if the sword is that dangerous, why is it in the village and not far away where it couldn't harm any of the villagers? Thirdly, there was a door attached to the streamers and the sword, yet not once in the story did she explain what was behind, or purported to be behind, that door. So what's behind there and why didn't she specify? I think it's all a clever tactic to keep prying eyes from snooping around what's potentially a goldmine for the right thief and nothing more, just like the case with Nine Tales Vale. Murdering Malice. Hah. What complete nonsense. I've seen Swiss cheese with fewer holes in it than that story-"

"Is there anything else you wished to ask me?" de Killer prompted. "Because time is growing short and we are all growing old, so please be on with it."

"Ah. Of course. Excuse me." Edgeworth coughed into his fist and resumed his perusal of his notebook. "So, you were hired to guard this treasure, though you will not specify what it was or who sent you. Why were you positioned outside the train station?"

"I was waiting for the package to be delivered." said de Killer. "You see, the item had not arrived in Kurain village when I was contacted and I was to observe its transferal and intervene in case anyone attempted to make a move out in the open. The client warned me of the possibility of interlopers arriving on the scene to steal or destroy it, but luckily the package was indeed parceled off to its courier fully intact."

"Who did you see while you were parked at the train station, Mr. de Killer?"

"I saw you, Mr. Edgeworth." said de Killer. "I also saw that young lady whom I mentioned, the one with the bagel-like hairstyle, greet you at the train."

"Was there anyone else of note that you saw pass you by? Anyone whom caught your attention as acting odd?"

"Actually... yes, there was. Not ten minutes after you and the young lady departed from the station, I remember seeing a strange young man lurking about the platform."

"A young man?" Maya perked up at this. "What did he look like?"

"He was fairly squatty in terms of height of a male, probably no more than 5'3, but he was rather thin, almost emaciated looking, and had the face of a pinched rat." said de Killer. "I didn't get a good look at him long because he scurried off at the first sign of a group of mediums passing by the station like a hyena having spotted a pride of lionesses coming back from a kill."

"That sounds awfully suspicious." Maya's face puckered into a scowl. "Mr. Edgeworth, did you see anybody like that when you got off the train?"

"Not that I can remember." said Edgeworth. "In fairness, I had just been cornered by an overly enthusiastic attendant and was eager to get off the train. All else eluded my notice."

"Have you seen this guy since then?" Maya shifted her attention to de Killer.

"No, he's evaded my eyes ever since, I am afraid to say." replied de Killer. "I watched for him to make his return as he struck me as suspicious, but he never did depart from the train station that night. The train station has been out of commission ever since then too, so I imagine he's still about the village somewhere. However, he definitely struck me as one who was, as they say, unhinged. I would do well to steer clear of him. He might have been one of the interlopers my client mentioned."

"I will make a note of this man and set the detective about the village to see if anyone has seen anything useful." Edgeworth jotted down the memo in the notebook. "Mr. de Killer, you previously mentioned that the last person you saw before the train car exploded was Pearl, the young lady with the hairstyle you described as 'bagel-like'. Please relate the details of that encounter."

"Around 9 pm, the young lady came by the stall for some manju. Apparently, she had been asked to get some for a friend of hers in the hospital and she was quite pleased at being useful in order to make him feel better."

Maya shot Edgeworth a pointed 'does that sound like a murderer to you?' look.

"What happened, then?" Edgeworth chose to ignore her.

"She paid for the manju and left." said de Killer. "I did not expect her to return, but an hour later, I saw her again."

"Did she buy more manju?" asked Maya.

"No. I initially thought she would, but she didn't even spare my cart a second glance. She seemed very bound and determined by her brisk stance, and I expected she was probably late for her train."

"What made you think she was traveling?" queried Edgeworth. "It was a bit late to be going on a long term excursion, wasn't it?"

"That's what I thought at first. However, judging from the size of her backpack, it looked as though she was either stowing away on an adventure, or running away from home."

"She was carrying a backpack, you said?" Edgeworth wrote down some more notes in shorthand. "What kind? Was it a rucksack for hostelers, or was it more of a leather child's school pack?"

"It looked like a camping bag, big, large, orange and heavy. I remember being stunned at how strong the young lady must've been, being able to lug around something of that size."

"Did you get a good look at her face?" Maya suddenly pressed.

"No, I didn't. She was at the far side of the train station's platform and it was rather dark that night, so I didn't see her very well, but I recognized the outfit and the hairstyle. It's quite memorable, to say the minimum."

"When did you see her come back out?" asked Edgeworth.

"Around ten thirty."

"Did she have the backpack with her?"

"Actually... no. No, she did not." de Killer idly scratched at his mustaches. "I thought it strange that she didn't have it with her, but I surmised that she either had forgotten something pressing for her trip, or she was just running an errand for someone on the train. She did seem like an agreeable sort of girl, and she'd already been seen once before running errands for others when she purchased some manju for her friend, so it didn't seem out of the realm of possibility."

"No... it isn't at all." Maya bit her lip. "Pearly always wants to help out whenever she can. She never says 'no' to anybody."

"I desperately wish she did." Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Mr. de Killer, you have provided some definite insight into the matter at the train station. You are free to go."

"Thank you." de Killer removed himself from the chair. "And our bargain still is upheld, I trust."

"Of course." Edgeworth acknowledged. "I am a man of my word."

Even when he didn't want to be.

"As am I." said de Killer. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to close up shop for the night. The manju ingredients won't last without being properly stored."

"You've gotta hand it to him." Maya whispered to Edgeworth. "When he picks a role to hide behind, he stays committed to it."

"Also, I have a word of advice for you, Mr. Edgeworth."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Edgeworth regarded de Killer as the assassin turned confectioner strode to the door and grasped the handle.

"I heard you refer to a tale a woman of this village told you as 'rubbish'. While I understand why you would come to this conclusion, immediate dismissal without thorough analysis is an unfortunate method of thinking that could potentially cause future problems. Don't dismiss anything too prematurely, for even in the most outrageous of lies, a nugget of truth may yet be found." de Killer almost smiled as he pulled the door open. "Though you are free to do as you wish. For after all, what do I know? I am but a simple manju salesman."

* * *

(A/N- Hey, everyone! Okay, so I've got a lot to cover down here. First off, thank you all so much for all the love and support you've shown my fic with your reviews and comments and likes and favorites and what have you. I wanted to post this chapter earlier, but I ended up contracting a mild fever and was down and out for a few days, but it seems to be receding somewhat, so that's where I was in case anyone was wondering where I'd wandered. Also, a little bit ago, I was surfing through the internet looking for MitsuMayo inspiration pictures for my plot bubbles so I could think and found, to my astonishment, that you guys had drawn fan art for my story. I'm not on any of those sites, so randomly coming across something specifically designed with my story in mind was more than a little shocking to me, but it was a happy shock, so thank you, I loved the fan art. I really like everyone's blogs, too, even if I don't post there.

Also, to the person who bought me those kofis on my page, thank you so much! I wasn't sure about the etiquette regarding these things, since I am a bit of a goober when it comes to the finer points of internet society, so I figured I'd just say something on here so it would reach out properly.

So, in short, you guys are amazing, I think your blogs are fantastic and thank you so much for everything! It really means the world to me that you're all enjoying this so much. And, as always, thank you for reading and please review!)


	13. Lord Have

Chapter Thirteen: Lord Have

Edgeworth pensively stared down at the sealed manilla file clutched in one of his hands while he perched his chin in the other. Though he'd received the autopsy report well over an hour ago, he hadn't seen fit to open it just yet. He was instead content to study the outside envelope while he let his thoughts drift from what he'd learned to what he hadn't yet concerning the scope of the case.

He was alone at present. Maya had wandered outside on the grounds that she needed some air. He suspected she would need a reprieve long before she departed, since coming face to face with her once captor on the scene of yet another murder probably didn't sit well with her in any respect, nor did he think would it with anyone else.

Figuring it would be a while before she returned, Edgeworth undid the twine holding the envelope shut and fished the autopsy report out of its manilla prison. He'd catch her up when she returned, but, for now, he'd continue his research himself.

The report itself was standard enough. The victim, Mrs. Claire A. Voyant, formerly known as Claire A. Fey, was found dead in the sword chamber, her death due to blood loss from a single slash to the neck and, other than the killing slice, no signs of a struggle were found on the body. The report didn't say what the murder weapon was, so Edgeworth figured the weapon's true identity was still unknown.

That, in and of itself, wasn't surprising. Many bladed instruments could fit the bill for such a small, yet deep nick to the carotid artery, so pinning down what actually did the old bat in would take some time, he expected.

Other than that, though, the report held little of interest. It told him her age, 102, (he'd actually pegged her for older than that), her status as a Synod Elder, that she survived her long dead husband and had no children, so there wasn't any immediate family to contact, but there wasn't much else that Edgeworth viewed useful to his investigation, so he put the trivial details from his mind so they wouldn't muddy the waters.

"Mr. Edgeworth? Are you in there, sir? D'you have a minute?"

Edgeworth looked up from the report.

Detective Time was on the other side of the door, knocking to be let in.

His nose wrinkled. Truthfully, no, he did not have a minute, but something in the pit of his stomach told him that if he didn't answer, the soft knocking would only continue and eventually would get louder. So, he assented to the inevitable, set down the page he was holding and picked up the envelope.

"I suppose." Edgeworth returned the autopsy report to the envelope and placed on the desk. "Come in, Time."

"Thank you, sir." The door creaked open to admit the ginger detective, though only his auburn head poked through the crack in the doorway. "I didn't want to bother you or anything while you're workin', but something's come up."

"And what might that be?" Edgeworth steepled his fingers together and regarded the freckly young man through half lidded eyes. "There hasn't been a third murder, has there?"

"Not that I know of, sir." said Time as he slipped the rest of himself inside. "Y'see, I was wanderin' around the gardens, keepin' an eye on that freaky manju salesman and having a good ol' think because I didn't have much else to do, and I ran aground of a young lady."

Edgeworth's dull glare deepened.

"How, pray tell, do your romantic entanglements warrant the need to interrupt my work in the middle of the night? You're grown enough, you should know that there is a time for work and a time for carnal pursuits."

Time flushed.

"Er, I- it's not what you think, sir. I'm not lookin' for any kind of romantic advice or- it's not like she was my type or- uh, but th-that's not the point." He blustered through his embarrassment and quickly cleared his throat, though the tips of his ears were brighter than his hair. "The young lady said she was lookin' for you."

Edgeworth's eyebrows lifted.

"For me?" He repeated incredulously. What the devil was going on? Why was a woman looking for him? He didn't entertain random solicitations from strange women in the middle of the night, and especially not during business hours.

... well, other than Maya, of course.

"Yes, sir." nodded Time. "She said she'd been told she needed to speak with you for an interview about what happened earlier. Y'know, the second murder?"

That was when he remembered.

"Ah, yes, I see. A Miss... Mercy, was it?" Edgeworth picked up the docket file that held the list of witnesses at the scene of the crime with whom he had yet to speak. "Is that her name?"

"Yes, sir." said Time. "She said she'd been sent by the Doctor, that crazed old harpy with the stick, to see you. According to her, the old lady made quite the scene about it, told her that she couldn't come back to the hospital until she'd spoken with you. Mind you, from the way she was going on about it, you'd think she'd just been sentenced to death if she didn't find you or somethin'. I don't claim to know the first thing about medical types, but they always seemed a bit batty to me. I mean, you'd have to be, being surrounded by all those medical charts and samples of bits and pieces of random people's body fluids floatin' about-"

"Detective Time, if you wish to live up to your name, I'd appreciate it if you got to the point so you stop wasting mine."

"Oh! Right, right. Sorry, sir. Anyway, she approached me askin' if I knew where you were and, even though I wasn't on the case anymore, I figured I might as well see if I could be of some use."

"I see. Is she waiting outside the door, then?" Edgeworth looked pointedly at the open door behind Time.

"No... not exactly." Time sheepishly closed the door behind him. "I, er, left her in the garden. She should still be there, but I can go get her if you want. It'll only be a minute or three."

"Why in the blazes did you do something like that?!" Edgeworth bristled. "In case you've forgotten, there could very well be a murderer on the loose."

More than 'very well' if he were honest, but he didn't see fit to keep Time in the loop that much.

"I know that, sir, but... er, speakin' forthrightly with ya, I wanted to get away from her as quickly as possible." Time scratched at a freckle. "I don't like her. She was clingin' to me and pawin' at me and she kept lookin' at me like I was the last nicotine patch at a smokers anon meeting. For someone who just saw a dead body, you'd think she'd have a little more need to be alone to process it instead of clawin' at a stranger like she was."

"People react to murder in their own way." said Edgeworth. "Don't try to understand it, Time. You'll only get a headache."

"Right." Time ran a hand through his hair. "So, what shall I tell her? Do you want to see her, or should I make up some hare-brained excuse so she'll clear off and you can continue your work in peace?"

Edgeworth idly wondered if that option included Time himself too, but he didn't say so aloud.

"Show her in if you would." He retrieved his notebook from his breast pocket, blandly shifted the pages to a blank page, and began to write in it.

"Alright, sir." said Time. "Do, er, you want me to get her now?"

"Now."

"... yes, sir."

"Also, Detective Time." Edgeworth briefly glanced over the top of his glasses at the young man. "Before you fetch her, there is something I need to speak with you about."

"Sir?" Time blinked, looking bewildered.

"I have some extracurricular activities that I think may be of interest to you." Edgeworth wrote down some notes on the paper, surveyed his handiwork and, with one swift motion, tore the page out of his book. "I learned earlier that a suspicious looking man was seen lurking about the village before the incidents occurred and hasn't been spotted since either murder's discovery. I want you to look into it for me."

"On this paper is a description of the man that I received. Use it and see what you can find." He passed the paper off to Time. "Normally I would have Detective Skye follow up this lead, but she's far too busy as it is, so you will have to pick up the slack in her stead."

"And this is alright, sir?" Time skimmed over the page. "I thought havin' me on the case would be a huge breach of protocol."

"This is a separate matter." Edgeworth replied glibly. "You are simply following up on a lead that is of importance to me. Whether or not it is relevant to the case at hand will be decided when and if we come to it."

"Well... that _is_ true, I guess." Time read the page over twice, folded it up and tucked it into his breast pocket. "Alright. You can count on me, sir. I'll search this town from top to bottom and see what I can find."

"Good." Edgeworth nodded in approval. "If you must, think of it as a way to get your mind off things. By the way, have you perchance come across Detective Skye lately? I wanted to ask her about something, but she's not answering her phone."

Time's nose crinkled so it looked like more freckles had spawned out of thin air.

"Yeah, I saw her alright, and frankly, I'm not rightly shocked she didn't answer you."

"Why's that?"

"She's passed out on a bench in the garden with her hand in a half eaten bag of snackoos."

* * *

"Miss Mercy." Edgeworth stood up in greeting when the plump young woman came into his office. "Thank you for coming at such short notice."

"You're welcome, Mr... Edgeworth, was it? Yes, that's it, isn't it?" Mercy's bowed to him while her gooseberry eyes scanned quickly around the room. "Um, excuse me, but where's Mystic Maya? Is she not here?"

"Miss Fey has ventured outside for a reprieve of sorts." said Edgeworth. "She was not feeling well."

"Not feeling well? Hmm. I see." Mercy eyed Edgeworth with an expression akin to a shrewd vampire sizing up its next meal. "Then, she isn't going to be helping you with your investigation? You're all on your own now?"

"For the time being." Edgeworth replied. "Do you take some issue with that? If so, I can arrange for this interview to be postponed until she returns."

"No, no, no, that's quite alright." Like someone had flipped a switch, Mercy giggled an overly emphasized giggle, took the seat had once housed de Killer and readjusted the hem of her habit so it was above her knee rather than below it. "You're _quite_ kind for offering, though."

"Think nothing of it." Edgeworth stiffly appraised the young woman in front of him; though a far cry from how she'd been when he first saw her, the recent depiction of her behavior that he received from the detective seemed to resonate. "What has happened has been an ordeal for everyone involved, so it's only fitting to allow that as an option."

"I see." Mercy sighed wistfully. "You're _so_ kind to be concerned about us all, but even though I'm the one who found the body, the one I worry for is Mystic Maya."

"Oh?" Edgeworth's left eyebrow arched. "Why is that?"

"Well..." Mercy turned her gaze downward in thought. "She has been through a lot lately, especially now there've been these horrid murders happening right under her nose. I can't say I'm at all taken unawares that poor Mystic Maya isn't feeling well. She's not said anything, but she's been so tired lately and hasn't been eating for weeks. You can tell by the effect it's been having on her skin. It's aging her."

Personally, Edgeworth thought Maya looked just fine, but he kept his silence in favor of keeping Mercy talking.

"If that's the case," He picked up his notebook and jotted down a few notes. "It's only fitting that we proceed with the interview immediately. You were the first to discover the body, were you not?"

"Yes, I was." Mercy wrung her hands in her lap. "I went to check Mrs. Voyant and that's when I found her dead on the floor of the sword chamber. Oh, it was simply horrible, the way she was, all curled up in a ball like a dead spider!"

"Was Pearl also there when you found Mrs. Voyant?"

"She most certainly was." said Mercy. "She was lying on the floor, bleeding from her head. It looked like she'd been struck with something, but I couldn't see what."

She must've been alluding to the chest that had been knocked upside in the corner of the chamber.

"What did you do when you found the body?" asked Edgeworth.

"I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to do something, so I ran out looking for help. I couldn't do anything on my own."

"I see." He wrote down some notes. "Why did you go to check on Mrs. Voyant in the first place? Was there something amiss that gave you pause for concern?"

"Not exactly. I had given her some pills about an hour before I found her."

"And was she alive when you gave her the pills?"

"Yes, she was." said Mercy. "She told me that she had just finished talking with you and that she was ready for her medication, so I set the tray with the glass of water and the pills down next to her and left."

"You didn't stay with her while she took her medication?"

"She didn't like it when I watched her. She said it made it hard for her to swallow." said Mercy. "I'm not sure why. She was blind, so it shouldn't have made a difference."

Edgeworth pensively tapped the pen against the tabletop, considering her words, while she watched him fervently from her seat across the desk. He wasn't astonished by her stare, though. Most witnesses were like this, always chomping at the bit to reveal any information they had, and even more keen to latch onto what the interviewer revealed in their questions, no matter how innocuous.

After all, it wasn't every day one was caught up in a murder. One had to savor these moments while they lasted.

"Did she take them once you left?" Edgeworth finally inquired after a moment's silence.

"I'd say so. I didn't see her take it, but when I came back, the pills were gone and the water glass was drained dry. I took the tray from the scene, which is why nobody saw it. At the time, I didn't realize it was part of a crime scene or else I wouldn't have touched it. The last thing I want are my fingerprints on anything crime scene-like."

"When you removed the tray, is that when you found the body?"

"No. Not that time." said Mercy, looking thoughtful. "I called to her, but she didn't answer and I didn't see her, so I figured she wasn't around. She likes to walk the halls sometimes. So, I returned about twenty minutes later and looked in on her to see if she'd come back, but when I saw that the door to the chamber behind hers was ajar, I got worried. You see, the door had been closed when I went in the first time."

"So the door was already ajar when you arrived, but only after the second time." Edgeworth murmured quietly. "Was there anyone there?"

"Not that I could see." said Mercy.

"Why were you the one whom delivered the pills?" asked Edgeworth.

"It's part of my duties as a nurse in training in the two year course." said Mercy, puffing out her chest proudly. "You see, I'm training to be a nurse."

"Yes, I gathered that." Edgeworth replied flatly. "So, how far are you into your two year program?"

"I'm still in the beginning stages."

"How long does that translate into for years?"

"Six."

"Six months?"

"No. Six years."

Edgeworth looked up.

"I'm sorry?"

"I've been training for six years." said Mercy.

"That's... a rather long time to be in training, isn't it?"

"No, no, it's perfectly normal." The young lady protested with an almost bitter tone to her voice. "You see, the head doctor just has very strict guidelines for nursing students and while I'm naturally following them to the letter, with all my other preoccupations, I've had no choice but to keep my studies at a slower pace. I ought not, though. I'm already doing such a good job, there's no reason why she shouldn't let me proceed to the next stage."

"... naturally."

"So good to see you're a man who can see the truth of the matter." continued Mercy. "I've just been busy with other things, that's all."

Edgeworth bit back a snort. She'd have to be if she'd been interning that long in the two year program without graduating.

"You spoke of some preoccupations. Would you please elaborate?"

"Hm, let's see..." Mercy tapped the side of her cheek. "I'm training to be a nurse, and then there's my day job in the city as a secretary, and I'm in a great many of the arts, so that takes up a chunk of my time. I'm also going to start a school, and I'll even go back and get my masters in engineering, and then I'll write a great novel-"

'And then you'll be a fairy princess, a cowboy, and a ballerina?' Edgeworth thought drily. This woman clearly had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up.

"-but those are taking a backseat to what I'm really working on. You see, while I may be busy with everything else, I still am well on my way to becoming a spirit medium."

"Oh?" Edgeworth's eyebrows raised a millimeter. "Have you channelled anyone yet?"

Mercy's mouth thinned into a tight line.

"Well, I..." The previous pride she'd had floundered about like a fish on a dock. "That's... er, I'm just not ready to show it off yet, that's all."

He took that as a no.

"So, you are a nurse in training." Edgeworth steered the conversation back to the main point. "That means you were present at the hospital last night, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is." nodded Mercy. "I had to take off for about an hour, but I came back as soon as it was done."

"What time were you back at the hospital?"

"Around 9:30 pm." said Mercy. "That's when I saw, erm... never mind."

Edgeworth's eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"Saw _what_ , Miss Fey?"

"Well, I... I don't know if I should say this more." Mercy tugged reluctantly at her habit's sleeves. "Mystic Maya is awfully fond of her little cousin and she's just as cute as a button, I don't want to get her in trouble, and Phil said- _oh!"_

Mercy clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.

" _What_ did Phil say?" Edgeworth inquired sharply.

Mercy suddenly started to howl.

"He said that if I told you what I saw, he'd make sure I'd regret it!"

Edgeworth's insides curdled at the sight of the hysterical woman in front of him and it was only his sense of professionalism that kept him from bolting.

"Why did he threaten you?" He asked calmly whilst trying desperately hard not to make a break for it out the nearest window.

"B-because I saw P-pearl." sniveled Mercy. "I saw her l-last night at the hospital and Phil told me not to tell you. He said it would make it look bad for P-pearl and the evidence already was against her and she's the main suspect and all."

"I see." Edgeworth made a small note in his notebook. "Was this last night?"

"N-no." Mercy shook her head. "It was about an hour ago. He came back from delivering the autopsy report and told me flat out that if I said anything about what I saw, I'd regret it. You see, he saw Pearl last night too, right when I did, so he knows what I know and-"

"What were you two doing at the time?"

"We were... going over inventory I think." Mercy swallowed down some mucus and sneezed. "I got a lecture from the head doctor because I had to leave temporarily for some counseling and didn't tell her about it, so I was stuck going over the stock rooms and jotting down what we had and what we didn't. It's a frightfully tedious job."

"Why was Phil there?" queried Edgeworth. "Surely you don't need two people counting inventory."

"That's what I said. However, Phil didn't think I could do a good job of it. He said I'd just muck it up, the big jerk."

Admittedly, that wasn't the kindest way he could have put it, but if her predilection for flitting from occupation to occupation was any sort of indication of her work ethic, Edgeworth saw the reason behind the junior doctor's suspicion she might not be thorough.

"Describe, if you will, the events that took place last night." He flipped to a new page. "Also, if you wish it, I can arrange for some police protection."

"You'd do that?" Mercy peered woefully at him through her fingers. "Really?"

"Yes, but only if you tell me exactly what happened at the time you saw Pearl."

"I..." Mercy's sniffing subsided a bit. "I suppose, if you mean what you say."

"I assure you, madam, I seldom say what I don't."

"Oh. I see. So, it's all settled then. _Well,_ " Mercy's sniveling vanished and she leaned forwards like she'd arrived at the beauty salon with some juicy gossip to dish upon. "Last night, I was working inventory with Phil when, all of a sudden, I heard a crash coming from the storeroom next to mine. Naturally, I went to investigate and who did I find rummaging around the cupboards, but Pearl, of all people. So, curious as to why she was milling about the storeroom, I asked her what she was doing and she said she was going on a trip and needed a bag. However, the thing is, I thought that was a little weird since the other day, Mystic Maya told me that she'd sprung for this cute little leather suitcase for Pearl for her birthday at the end of February, practically paid a fortune for it. I didn't understand why she'd spend so much money on a suitcase, but the thing's supposedly got a hundred year warranty on it, so it'll last longer than Pearl will. The tag line for the company is 'they'll fight over it when you're dead', which I think is just frightful bringing death into a company's slogan, but Mystic Maya was certain she'd picked out a good product for Pearl, though I'm not sure that stain of leather was appropriate for someone as delicate as Pearl. Black leather's cold and stark, but I suppose the tobacco stain wouldn't hold well with her either since she doesn't like smoking-"

"If we could get back to the crux of the case, madam." Edgeworth put an exasperated hand to his temple; this woman gave Wendy Oldbag a run for her money. "You spoke of a bag. What did it look like?"

"It's big, orange and baggish." said Mercy. "As for what she wanted it for, I didn't ask for more details- I'm not a busybody gossip, you see- so I gave her what she was looking for without a second thought. Pearl's such a good girl, I never would've thought she was up to anything. Anyway, she took the bag from me and darted out of the room without so much as a 'thank you'. I could scarcely believe it. Here I was having taken time out of my busy day to help her and she just up and left without so much as a 'by your leave', almost careening into Phil like she was a bull charging at a red flag. Nearly knocked him over and then when he tried calling to her, she just took off."

"Did you see her again?"

"No, I did not." said Mercy. "I didn't see her again until I came across Mrs Voyant and saw her sprawled out on the floor."

"Did she take anything else from the store room?"

"You'd have to ask Phil about that." Mercy snorted derisively. "He's the one who did the whole inventory. I was just the glorified pack mule, fetching this, carrying that, toting that bale and dragging that barge and what have you. A total waste of my efforts, really."

"I'm sure." Edgeworth shut the book; the task of getting Phil to talk was far easier said than done. "In any case, I think that's all I am going to need from you, Miss Mercy. You are free to go."

"What? That's it?" Mercy looked disappointed. "Don't you want to ask me about anything else?"

"No, I don't think that will be necessary." said Edgeworth. "You've clearly had a trying experience and I see no reason to make you relieve unfortunate memories more than necessary."

What he really wanted to add was 'since it might very well urge you to recite them in over-indulging detail and make my headache worse', but that wouldn't help his situation much, so instead Edgeworth reread the notes before him and said, "Do you have any questions? I cannot divulge much, but if anything at all strikes you as odd, please feel free to ask and I will answer it to the best of my ability."

Normally he didn't host question and answer sessions with witnesses, but for a witness as woolly as she was, it seemed like the best option to allow her to pry a little. It was possible something she asked could lead to a snippet of information.

"Hmm..." Mercy tilted her head from side to side as she chewed on the offer. "I have one question, but I don't think it's related to the case."

"I will be the judge of that, Miss Fey. Go ahead and ask it. It may very well have some bearing on the case."

The glint in Mercy's gooseberry eyes grew gleeful.

"Okay, if you insist." Mercy clucked like a hen about to brood. "What's your relationship with the Master, Mr. Edgeworth? Are you two... intimate?"

Edgeworth stared at her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What's the nature of your relationship with Mystic Maya?" Mercy leaned forwards in her chair so much, she was practically squished against the desk's outer edge. "Are you two acquaintances, friends, or... something else? Is there something more to you two that meets the eye?"

Edgeworth's gaze grew cold. The last time he checked, neither he, nor Maya, were transformers.

"You are indeed right in thinking that has no bearing on this case." He said icily. "Why do you want to know such a thing?"

"Well… it's kind of embarrassing, but I have a wager with someone and we both wanted to know." said Mercy with another embellished giggle. "So, is it true?"

Edgeworth snorted.

Embarrassing for whom, exactly?

"Miss Fey and I are merely casual friends and work acquaintances, nothing more." said Edgeworth. "There is no concupiscent conduct between us, if that's what you're curious about."

"Huh?" Mercy tilted her head to the side.

"Erm... Miss Fey and I are only on platonic terms, and not those of a licentious or prurient nature."

"... what's that?" Mercy's pinprick eyes narrowed slightly and then widened as she continued to gaze at him, though all that did was make him internally squirm. Had she finally figured out what he was trying to get across to her in as tactful a light as possible?

He hoped she did.

"Um… alright. How strange. Anyway, I had another question, well, more like a request."

"Yes?" Edgeworth pounced on the opportunity to deviate away from the previous question. "What is it?"

"If I'm getting a security detail, can I put in a request for an officer?"

"It depends. Whom did you want to request?"

Mercy tittered an overly saccharine simper so sweet, it made his stomach turn.

"I want that cute ginger snap of a detective to escort me back the hospital. You know, the freckly one in the blue coat."

Edgeworth's gaze glazed over.

"... I'll can see what I can arrange."

* * *

(A/N- And that's chapter thirteen done. Woo! I'd wanted to get this up sooner, but I got in too late last night after a long haul of work and fell asleep at my computer before I was able to post. Luckily, I missed the computer itself and didn't end up with keyboard face. XD Anyway, thank you to everyone who favorited, alerted and commented on my last chapter. Hearing everyone's thoughts on my work really makes writing that much better and brightens my day. So, thank you all again for reading and please review!)


	14. The Weight of the Prosecution

Chapter Fourteen: The Weight of the Prosecution

"So, you really _are_ asleep on the job, Detective." Edgeworth stared disdainfully down at Ema Skye as she laid slumped on her side on the seat of the bench, her hair fluttered over her face and her hand in a half-eaten bag of snackoos.

After Mercy had gleefully, and Detective Time had miserably, taken their leave of him, Edgeworth had gone on a quick walk to stretch, decompress, and get out of the stuffy office for a little while, a reprieve he sorely needed. His shoulders had stiffened to the point he was having trouble breathing and, though he was improving, the effects of the carbon monoxide poisoning still rattled well throughout his system, so he had trouble ignoring it like he usually did when feeling under the weather.

However, halfway through his tour of the gardens, he'd come across Ema Skye draped over a bench in a deep slumber, and, while it was rather unlike her, he had expected as much. She'd been working around the clock while attempting to handle multiple cases compounded upon each other like pancakes in a stack, so it was just a matter of time before her last energy reserves were spent and she passed out.

It wasn't like she was used to pushing herself beyond the physical limits of a sane human being like he was.

"Mr. Edgeworth? What are you doing out here?"

Edgeworth broke out of his inner thoughts, spotted Maya crossing the garden from the opposite walkway, and a small smile ghosted upon his face. A far cry from how she'd been during the meeting with de Killer, the color in her cheeks had returned and she no longer looked as though she was about ready to throw up, a vast improvement if his opinion counted for anything.

"Miss Fe- Maya." Edgeworth bowed to her when she finally reached him. "I trust you are feeling better?"

"A bit." said Maya. "It's amazing what a little fresh air can do to replenish your- hey, what's up with Ema? Why's she out cold on the bench?"

"It's nothing to worry about. She's just exhausted herself." Edgeworth gestured at the limp lump on the bench with a flick of his hand. "The other detective told me she was out here sleeping, so I decided to see for myself if his claims held water."

"Seems that detective was right." Maya crouched down and poked Ema on the forehead.

She didn't respond.

"Poking her awake won't do any good. It's best to just leave her be for the time being." said Edgeworth. "She'll be fine."

"Mr. Edgeworth, it might be getting close to summer, but it's not all the way just yet." Maya clucked at him. "We can't just leave her all by her lonesome. Besides, what if the murderer comes back, sees her and decides to go for a 'three's the charm' job?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" asked Edgeworth. "Keep watch?"

"Not at all. We'll just take her with us."

Edgeworth's mouth twisted into an unamused scowl.

"And I suppose that includes me carrying her as part of the plan?"

"Always nice to know you're keeping up." Maya winked at him. "You can't very well expect me to do it, she's bigger than I am, and the resident pack mule I keep on hand's out cold in the hospital with back trouble, so that nominates you. Yee haw."

For a while now, he'd had an awful suspicion Wright was led around by Maya's flights of fancy, but now he was sure of it. With Wright gone, she'd foisted his role onto Edgeworth and frankly, Wright could have it back as far as he was concerned.

Still, it didn't sit well with him that the murderer might choose the inert detective as his next victim, so, without another word, Edgeworth bent down, picked up Ema, slung her over his shoulder like one would a sack of flour, and started down the path towards the office, Maya right behind him.

"So, what've you been up to while I was out getting my third wind?" Maya asked curiously. "Anything good?"

Edgeworth recounted the events of Mercy's interview while trying not to die too much on the inside.

"Hmm, I see." Maya tapped the side of her face thoughtfully with her forefinger. "That's really strange, I've gotta say."

"Other than the obvious, what about it's strange?" asked Edgeworth.

"Phil's not that kinda guy. Yeah, he can be pretty stubborn when he gets riled up, but he's not the type to go around threatening people."

"Do you think Mercy is being untruthful, then?"

"I don't know." said Maya. "I don't think she's lying, but at the same time, doing that sort of thing goes against what I know about Phil. On the other hand, I wasn't there to see it myself, so I can't really give you my opinion on more than what I know about them. Talk about a terrible time for me to go skirting off on you like that. Sorry."

"It's of no consequence." Edgeworth waved off her apology with the hand that wasn't supporting Ema. "At any rate, the only way I can see that we will be able to make sense of this is by assessing Phil's side of the story, which we unfortunately can't do because he is refusing to testify."

"Yeesh, talk about a catch 22."

"Indeed." Once the door to the office opened all the way, Edgeworth strode inside and deposited Ema gently on the sofa. "In the meantime, however, I would like a word. There is quite a lot I need to discuss with you."

"Oh, yeah?" Maya closed the door behind her. "Like what?"

...

"You want to know _what?!"_

"How much does Pearl weigh?" Edgeworth repeated while he rifled through the file he was reading. "It's imperative to the investigation."

"How could _that_ possibly be imperative to your investigation?" Maya brandished her empty teacup at him from where she sat perched on the desk's tabletop. "That's more than just a little personal a question to ask all willy nilly."

"Maya, you said you wanted my help, did you not?" Edgeworth glared at her from over the rim of his glasses. "Were you serious about that?"

"Of _course_ I was serious, but what does-"

"Then you will have to trust me when I tell you that such information, as unimportant as it may seem, is crucial to the lead I am investigating." Edgeworth interrupted. "I will explain in due time if this particular theory bears fruit. For now, however, I must ask that you trust my judgment and tell me what you know."

"Mr. Edgeworth... do you really think I don't trust you completely?" Maya looked a little hurt by the implication. "I wouldn't have asked you for your help if I didn't."

"I am well aware that you have a tendency to trust people far more than you ought, though, honestly, it would do you some good to be more heedful when placing that trust. However, by refusing to answer the question, you are impeding the investigation and it is not you who gets to decide what is useful and what is not. That, as you are surely cognizant, is more my purview. So, please answer the question. How much does Pearl weigh?"

With a groan that sounded like a cross between a camel in heat and a bullfrog being eaten alive, Maya's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"... I guess I've got no choice. The last time we talked about it, she said she weighed about 80 pounds."

"She weighs that little?" Edgeworth's eyebrows arched upwards. "Are you sure of that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Maya stared at him like he'd just challenged Pearl's honor. "She's only about 4'8, so of course she'd only weigh that much. The only reason she dragged your unconscious carcass as far as she did was thanks to an adrenaline rush, not natural brawn."

"... I suppose that's true." The furrows on his forehead deepened as Edgeworth spared one of the files lingering about his desk a calculating glance. "Thank you for telling me, Maya. This information will prove most useful."

"It better." Maya huffed. "I just broke a cardinal rule of cousin talk for you. First rule about Weight Club: you do _not_ talk about Weight Club."

"Must you be so theatrical?" Edgeworth eyed her disparagingly from over the top of the file he'd just picked up.

"Must you be such a stick in the mud?" Maya countered.

"Hmph."

With that, the room quickly fell into an uncomfortable silence, only interrupted by the sounds of rustling papers and a few spare growls Edgeworth muttered under his breath every so often, until eventually Maya couldn't stand it anymore and broke it.

"Hey, what did you mean when you said I shouldn't trust you?" She reached forwards and tugged the file down so his face was exposed. "Do you _want_ me to be suspicious of you? That kinda negates the point of asking you to help me figure out who the culprit is, doesn't it?"

"Not nearly as much as you might think." Edgeworth shut the file, laid it flat on the table and laced his fingers together. He hadn't planned on speaking with her about it so soon, but the time seemed appropriate.

"I'm still not really getting you." said Maya. "Can you be a bit less vague?"

"You wish for an example? Very well." He removed his glasses and set them down on the tabletop next to her thigh. "Let's take, for instance, the events from earlier surrounding the death of Mrs. Voyant. As far as you know, I am the last person who saw Mrs. Voyant alive. I do not have an alibi that can be corroborated since the only witness to that statement is now deceased. I was also not being monitored when alone in the room with her, and when I came out, you did not verify that she was still alive. So, it is completely possible that during that time I was inside, I murdered her and you were never the wiser. For all you know, I could very well be the culprit and Mercy's assurance that she was alive afterwards is a lie she concocted in order to spare you any more trouble because you asked for assistance from the very murderer you hoped to catch. Did you possibly think of that?"

Maya's cheek puffed.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you wouldn't _do_ something like that."

"Do you have proof of such a claim?" asked Edgeworth. "Do you have hard evidence that supports your theory?"

"Well... no, not exactly, but I know you wouldn't do anything like that because-"

"And that right there is my point. We butted heads about this earlier in the sword chamber and then again before with the previous interview, but there is something you need to get your head around. The first rule of investigation as a prosecutor is relatively simple, but vital to grasp. Everyone is a suspect. No one, not you, nor me, nor even Wright, are exempt from the shroud of doubt that has been cast over the true nature of this murder."

" _Wh-what?"_ Maya's eyes grew very round. _"I'm_ a suspect?! Oh, _come on_. Doesn't that happen enough already?!"

"On that we are in agreement, but the suspect list is not limited to just you. Along with you, the list has myself, Wright, Pearl, both detectives, Dr. Bolysm, Phil, Mercy, de Killer and anyone else that might be involved with this case, yet of whom we are not completely aware." said Edgeworth. "Earlier, you argued that Pearl had no connection to this case so she can't be the culprit, but you don't know that for certain. You believe it to be true, but belief and reality are two entirely different things. In my line of work, pure belief is meaningless. As such, no one gets a free pass. No one. Therefore, you need to stop thinking like a member of the defense team if we are going to make any headway on this case."

"So... basically you're saying I'm too 'defense-y'?" Maya's nose crinkled. "Is that even a thing?"

"Yes. Much like De Killer, defense attorneys place complete trust in their clients, whereas it is the prosecutor's job to consider the cold, hard evidence and follow it where it leads them, wherever that may be. You have never worked with a prosecutor before, so I suppose it's only natural for you to jump to another's aid without having gathered ample evidence to support your footing, but when working on this side of the bench, it is crucial to abandon the blind faith that defense attorneys bestow upon their clients, and instead think from a coldblooded perspective."

"But you didn't do it."

"That, Maya, is hardly the point."

"Mr. Edgeworth, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but that logic's more than a little skewed." Maya pulled out a bag of snacks from inside her obi and began munching on them. "What if the evidence was wrong? Where'd you be, then? Up a tree with a 'not guilty' verdict waving in your face, I imagine."

Edgeworth stared at the snacks.

"Where did you get those?"

"From Ema." Maya held up a chocolate snackoo covered in big white granules. "I was hungry and it wasn't like she was eating them anymore, so I snagged the bag and helped myself to a few. Don't worry, I'm not going to eat them all. Want one?"

"No, thank you." Edgeworth had never been a fan of snack foods.

"Suit yourself." Maya shrugged and dove her hand back into the baggie. "It's funny, I was expecting these to be salty, but I'm not really tasting the salt. Other than that, they're still pretty tasty."

"That's good to know, I suppose."

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask. How's your head?"

"Heinous."

"Do you want me to do the thing?"

"What thing?"

"Y'know," Maya made a massaging motion with her hands. "The thing. I promised earlier, didn't I?"

"Oh. Er, no, there's no need." Edgeworth deflected her offer. "You've done enough already, I wouldn't ask you to-"

"You're not asking, I'm offering." Maya pointed a snackoo at him. "If your head is killing you, I want to help out. I've got my magic fingers all primed and at the ready and everything."

"I assure you I'm fine." Edgeworth noted the melted chocolate smeared on her fingertips with a grimace. "Besides, I'd prefer not to get chocolate in my hair if I can avoid it."

"What?" Maya looked at her sticky fingers and noticed they were covered in the chocolate coating from the semi-melted snackoos. "Oh, that. Well, that's easily fixed. Give me a minute and I'll wipe them off no problem."

She then stuck a finger in her mouth.

"Maya, that's not wiping." Edgeworth watched in a mixture of disgust, disapproval, and another emotion he didn't care to describe as she swirled her tongue around her index finger, polishing it free of chocolate.

"What are you talking about? Yes, it is." Maya surveyed her handiwork and moved onto the next finger.

"No, that's licking. You're licking your fingers. That's not wiping."

"So? It's the same thing."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it _isn't_." Edgeworth purposefully turned his eyes away; for some reason, he wasn't feeling all that well. "Licking and wiping are two different things entirely. Wiping involves using a clean cloth or napkin of some kind, not… whatever it is that you're doing over there."

"But they're clean now, aren't they?" Maya wiggled the fingers on her right hand before moving onto her left thumb. "What's so wrong about licking your fingers when you've got stuff on them?"

"Plenty." said Edgeworth. "For starters, it's not good social etiquette."

"Mr. Edgeworth, we're not at a dinner party."

"That's no excuse."

"What do you propose I do instead? Wipe my fingers on your cravat?"

"Don't you dare."

"Then you don't get to tell me what I can and can't do if you don't have another suggestion. Come up with another option and maybe I'll take you up on it." Maya held both her hands up, inspected them carefully, and turned them around for him to see. "Okay, they're officially chocolate free. Gimme your head."

Edgeworth made such no movements.

"Oh, c'mon. When did you become such a germaphobe?" Maya wiggled her fingers at him. "I'm not sick and you aren't going to catch anything off me, so what's the problem? It's just a little bit of saliva- hey, are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your cheeks are flushed bright red." Maya pointed at his glowing face. "Do you have a fever?"

"Probably." Edgeworth ran his fingers through his fringe and felt his face. Sure enough, he was warm to the touch and just a tad sweaty. "I was recently discharged from the hospital. It's to be expected that I am not entirely up to snuff yet and probably pushed myself more than I ought to have done."

"Let me see." Maya reached forwards and placed a hand to his forehead. "Yep, you're pretty hot alright."

Edgeworth's eyebrows lifted an inch.

"I-I mean in temperature! _Temperature!_ Your temperature is hot, so you've definitely got yourself a fever, that's what I meant, not the other thing-" Maya flailed about as she attempted to backtrack and failed rather spectacularly. "Oh god, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it just came out wrong and-"

"Relax, will you? I didn't figure you had." Edgeworth rolled his eyes. Good lord, was Maya always this flappable or was this solely for his benefit?

"Well, in any case, you should drink some of that tea I brought you." Maya gestured to the untouched cup of tea next to the one she had drained dry. "You need fluids if you're overheated."

"I'm not thirsty." said Edgeworth.

"You should at least try it." Maya cajoled while picking up the teacup and offering it to him. "It'll do you some good."

She took a sip to show him how tasty it was, but all that did was annoy him further.

"Maya, I am not a child refusing to eat his vegetables." Edgeworth retorted stiffly. "You can stop treating me as such."

"Says the man who was being a stubborn old goat about the difference between wiping and licking." Maya peered over the top of the cup at him with a playful grin.

"There _is_ a difference."

"So sayeth you." snorted Maya. "So, what'll it be first? The tea, or the head thing? It's your choice, but if you don't make one, I'll make it for you."

Edgeworth sized up the petite woman perched on the desk and sighed. It seemed no matter what he said, she was adamant on resuming her efforts from earlier, and while deep down he was quite flattered she wanted to help that much, she oughtn't. He could cope just fine without. However, since she didn't seem like she was going to let the subject go any time soon, he decided to let her have her way.

"Oh... very well." He set down the file and sat back in his desk chair. "If you truly wish to resume what you were doing earlier, you may, but please remember that you mustn't feel obligated. While the sentiment is appreciated, it really isn't nece... necessar..."

"Hm? What was that?" Maya grinned while his head leaned forwards of its own volition and his shoulders slumped as her fingers pressed into his skull. "Sorry, I can't understand you when you slur your words together like that."

"... mmph." grunted Edgeworth. His thoughts had fuzzed over almost instantly when the subtle pressure of Maya's fingertips kneaded into his temples and sharply reminded him of how tired he actually was.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, let's see..." Maya shut her eyes and let her fingers guide themselves around the muscles that made up his skull's sinew. "Huh. That's funny."

"What's funny?" murmured Edgeworth.

"Mr. Edgeworth, I don't know if you know this, but you've got muscle knots in your face."

Edgeworth's shoulders sagged even further.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Yeah, I didn't figure you'd be." Maya began moving the pads of her fingers in a circular motion on some of the tighter knots along the sides of his cranium. "You're always so tense about everything, it figures your muscles would be a testament to it. You work too hard, you should get out more and have fun, maybe exercise a little. That'd help get rid of the knot-causing stress you've got splattered along your muscles, or at the very least, alleviate some pain."

"I happen to exercise fairly frequently, if you must know." Edgeworth protested, though it was little more than a whisper at that point.

"Oh, yeah? What kind of exercise are we talking?" Maya peered down at him from where she was working. "You don't mean Apollo's vocal exercises, do you? Nick told me all about those and, while I do see how screaming could relieve emotional stress, I don't know if you can really count that as a physical activity."

"No. I don't, nor would I, engage in anything as undignified as that. However, I do exercise."

"Care to tell me what it is?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's personal."

"What do you mean? How can an exercise be persona... Ohh, do you mean _'that'_ kind of exercise? Well, I suppose that counts as a physical activity, but I thought you said you weren't interested in that sort of- wait, is this a 'no strings attached' kind of arrangement or-"

" _Wh-what?!"_ Edgeworth reeled backwards out of her grasp. "N-no, of course not, it's nothing like… _that._ Don't be ridiculous."

"Enlighten me, then." Maya crossed one leg over the other, stuck her elbow on top and leaned her chin into her palm. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

The flushed hue in his cheeks grew redder and he deliberately looked to the side again.

"I just don't like intertwining my personal and professional lives together, that's all. It muddles things." He murmured while sparing a sideways glance at her through his fringe.

"How does telling me what you do for exercise sabotage that rule?" asked Maya. "I'm your friend."

"Yes, but in my work life."

Maya's eyebrow arched.

"… Mr. Edgeworth, you _do_ realize I'm not actually a member of the legal world, right? I'm not a judge, lawyer, prosecutor, bailiff, paralegal, that guy with the metal wand who waves it at people to see if they're packin', court artist, court jester, or member of the police department. You know that, don'tcha?"

"Of course I am aware of that." Edgeworth snapped waspishly.

"Good. Because I'm not. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that when it comes to the legal profession, I'm at best a glorified former receptionist/caretaker/entertainment committee for the defense and at worst, a legal jargon/fund sponge. I'm a spirit medium, you're the Chief Prosecutor. In short, we've got completely different career paths. So, with that in mind, if I've got next to diddly to do with your work in the grand scheme of things, wouldn't I fall under the category of 'personal life' friend instead?"

"Well, I..."

"'Well, you', what?" pressed Maya. "Am I wrong?"

He wanted to tell her that, yes, she most certainly was, but the more he thought about it, Edgeworth realized that he couldn't support that argument. Maya really didn't have anything to do with his prosecutorial path. She used to, to an extent, but as of the present, she really had nothing to do with it at all now. He'd just happened to meet her while in the midst of his work, so he'd associated her with it, but she didn't really fall into the same categories as Wright, Ema, or anyone else with whom he spent a prolonged period of time. Even Trucy fell under the category of a work-related acquaintance since she was directly under Wright's care as his young charge. Once upon a time, Maya fit the bill well enough, also being a remora of Wright's to a degree, but now it didn't seem the classification of her current relation to Edgeworth was in step with the previous one.

He'd have to rethink things.

"Hey, you alive in there?" Maya reached out one of her slender fingers and poked him in between his eyebrows.

"I'm fine." Edgeworth deflected her finger with a swift stroke of his hand. "In any case, I concede that you make a decent point. You really aren't related with my work much anymore, this instance notwithstanding."

"So, does that mean you're gonna tell me what you do for exercise?"

"No."

"Why not?!" Maya huffed indignantly. "I thought we'd made some headway here. I was ready to hug it out with you and everything."

"I don't want to say because you…" Edgeworth's uncomfortable expression intensified. "You'll… likely find it humorous."

"What? No, I won't."

"Yes, you will. You'll laugh and I don't like being laughed at."

"Hold the phone a minute." Maya's eyebrows knitted together. "Are you telling me that you told somebody before and they laughed and _that's_ why you don't want to say now?"

"Something akin to that."

" _What?!_ Jeez. People can be so immature sometimes." Maya's cheek inflated like an irked pufferfish. "I know that's rich coming from me, but still. Who did you tell? Was it Larry?! I bet it was Larry- hey, don't tell me you put me in the same friend bucket as _Larry_."

"No. You are far different from Larry." Edgeworth stifled a hollow laugh. "He strictly falls under the category of 'friend that I have, but I don't quite know why'."

"Oh, really? I do." chirped Maya as she resumed her perusal of his temples.

"You do?"

"Yep. You're a creature of habit, so when somebody announces that you and they are gonna be friends, despite you glaring at them so they'll leave you alone, you go along with it because you don't know how to get them to go away otherwise. That's how you get most of your friends, I've noticed."

Edgeworth glared at her.

"You don't know me well enough to know me that well."

"Pish tosh. I know you plenty well. If people's minds were books, you'd be a leaflet passed out at kindergarten. So easy to read, it's borderline unfair." The strength in Maya's fingers deepened around a particularly nasty knot. "So, you're really not going to tell me, huh?"

"No."

"Alright, alright. I can see I'm going to lose this battle, so I'll drop it for now. Not forever, but just for now. Let's change the subject to something else."

"An excellent suggestion."

"Anyway, speaking of people who you never really got to leave you alone, are you ever going to tell me what happened to Gumshoe or not?"

Edgeworth's breath hitched so quickly, he almost choked on it.

"I-" He coughed into his fist and tried to rid himself of the walnut lodged in his throat, but it didn't budge. "I beg your pardon?"

"Gumshoe. You were going to tell me in the train compartment before the earthquake struck." Maya's jovial tone dropped for the more somber one she'd used in her flat. "I'm not exactly sure what went down, but the looks you and Nick got when I mentioned him was more than enough to tip me off something had happened and whatever it was, it wasn't good. Don't bother sugarcoating it for me, I can handle it, so just tell me flat out. Did he die?"

"... we don't know that yet." Edgeworth said quietly, his shoulders feeling four times heavier than a moment ago. "He's gone missing."

Maya's jaw dropped.

" _Missing?!_ Are you serious?!"

"Yes." Edgeworth nodded. "He was on the track of a dangerous serial killer that the police department has given the name 'The Baytown Butcher' because he tends to hunt around the Baytown area near the pier. The entire department has been scrambling for any leads, but have come up empty-handed. The crime scenes were flawless, nothing was left behind and we still don't know what the weapon is, let alone how he conducts his... 'business'."

"Euch, that's horrible." Maya shuddered. "A serial killer that's good at his job is never anything to be happy about."

"Indeed. I've not gone into the details, but needless to say, his murders aren't exactly one that we can publish to the public without a discretionary warning." sighed Edgeworth. "He's clean about it, but the state of the corpses are usually less than savory by the time they're found."

"In any case, all the detectives were at their wits end, but then Detective Gumshoe announced he had figured something out and took off on a wild hare after his lead. He never established contact afterwards. It's been the better part of a month, but nothing concerning his whereabouts has turned up, and, despite the police's best efforts to locate him, no trace has been found. While I'm not one to wax poetically about anything, it's as if he vanished into thin air."

"Did he tell you what he'd figured out before he disappeared?" Maya leaned forwards so she barely kept her balance on his desk. "Or maybe where he was going? If Gumshoe had told anybody, it would've been you, Mr. Edgeworth."

"No. He didn't." Edgeworth attempted to hide the hint of bitterness coating his reply, but ultimately failed. "He didn't say a word to me about it. I didn't even know he'd gone missing until a week later when he failed to turn up for his salary review."

"Maybe he didn't want his pay cut one more time and ducked you."

"Initially, that's what I thought too, but upon a little investigation, I learned that he'd gone off on a mission and hadn't returned. I assumed the police department would keep me abreast of the situation, but they weren't as forthcoming with the details as I expected them to be."

"Y-yeah."

Edgeworth paused, glanced upwards, and frowned.

"What?" Maya stared back at him. "What is it?"

"You look pale."

"Oh, that? It's nothing, I'm fine." said Maya, though she certainly didn't look fine; Her whole head was drooping towards her chest, and it didn't look like her eyes weren't functioning properly. If anything, her pupils looked like a camera lens that was unable to focus on its target.

"Are you sure of that?" asked Edgeworth. "Because if you need to visit the clinic-"

"I'm okay, really. I'm just feeling kinda funny. A bit off, you could say." Maya insisted a bit more than necessary. "I was just caught off-guard about Gumshoe is all. Nick and I ran into him a lot and he helped us out loads in the past, so it's just a lot to take in at once."

"Very well." Edgeworth wasn't convinced, but if she said she was fine, he'd allow her her privacy.

"A-anyway," Maya ran a hand through her long black hair and smiled at him, though it was less of a high beam and more of a dim bulb's flicker. "Back to the whole Gumshoe thing, what about Maggey? Did anyone talk to her? She might know something- Oh, wait, are they still dating? Because if they aren't, she still might know something, but that could be a little bit awkward."

"Not exactly." said Edgeworth.

"Oh no... they broke up?"

"They got married."

"Married?! Seriously? Hey, how come I didn't get an invite?!"

"They eloped several years ago. Even if you had been in the country, there was no ceremony of pomp and circumstance to attend, so you needn't act so put out." clucked Edgeworth. "In this instance, no one was privy to an invitation."

"Oh." Maya's indignation subsided a smidgeon. "Well, I guess that's okay, then. Where'd they elope?"

"Las Vegas, I believe."

"Vegas, huh? That's cool!" crowed Maya. "I bet they got hitched by Elvis. Hang on, don't you need money to go to Vegas?"

It was common knowledge that while Gumshoe had unlimited quantities of loyalty and enthusiasm, monetary funds were a completely different story.

"I... might've pulled a few strings to advance Detective Gumshoe his salary." Edgeworth cleared his throat with a subtle cough. "And double it. H-however, that isn't important. As for your previous question, we did speak to Maggey about whether or not he had contacted her, but she told us she hadn't heard a word from him. In fact, she's who reported him missing when he failed to show up for their scheduled outing night."

"You mean 'date night?" Maya corrected with an impish smile.

"Yes... that."

"You can say it, y'know. It won't burn you." teased Maya, though her face was far paler than her attitude; she was starting to look ghostly. "So, the police department thinks he's gone for good?"

"That's what I've gathered." replied Edgeworth. "At this point, they seem to think that he's gone and there's not much they can do when it comes to locating him after so many months of searching and nothing to show for it. He'll either turn up, or he won't."

"You don't agree, I take it?"

"Of course not." said Edgeworth sharply. "I've known Detective Gumshoe for more years than I shall ever care to admit and, while he may be unreliable and flighty, he's not one to let someone like a serial killer spell his end. His resilience is unnatural. I expect he'll turn up any day now at my office, apologizing profusely and offering to clean it for the thousandth time as a means of recompense. I would've preferred that he'd told me ahead of time where he was headed, but I suppose that is water well under the bridge at this juncture. However, I shall have to make a point of discussing this behavioral misconduct during his next salary review, just so he knows where he stands in this situation."

Maya smiled at him.

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?"

Edgeworth scoffed.

"Don't make presumptions."

"I'm not." She patted him on the shoulder. "Just an observation."

Hmph. For some reason that he didn't care to explore, he sincerely doubted that.

Speaking of observations, however, Edgeworth noticed that the hand resting on his shoulder was no longer the steady, deliberate one that had been working on the muscle knots on his neck, but rather a weak, twitching mess.

"Maya, your hand is shaking."

"Really?" Maya raised her hands up in front of her nose and limply took note of the wavering tremors. "Huh. I guess they are. Well, at least they match."

"Maya, you've overdone yourself." Edgeworth frowned while Maya tried to keep her hands steady. "This was precisely why I didn't remind you of your earlier promise. You pushed yourself far too hard and now your body is protesting. I hope you've learned something from this."

"Yeah. I have."

"Oh? And what did you learn?"

"That you're a colossal hypocrite. Besides, something as tiny as getting rid of muscle knots shouldn't have done this." Maya responded sluggishly. "I've never gotten hand twitches from getting rid of muscle knots before... oof. My head feels... kinda heavy." She blinked like she was submerged in tapioca custard and pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes.

"Let me see." Edgeworth reached forwards, grasped her wrists, and pulled them down away from her eyes.

"Does it look bad?" Maya asked thickly as she stared at him through half lidded eyes.

"Yes, it does." answered Edgeworth. "You look quite unwell."

Maya snorted.

"It's a good thing you decided to be a lawyer instead of a doctor. Your bedside manner sucks."

"Am I supposed to tell you some half-baked emollient quip instead?" He retorted coolly.

"Yeah, but if you did that, you wouldn't be you." said Maya. "Your lack of tact is part of your charm, I guess."

"Duly noted. Still, it doesn't look like you are about to die, so you may have that with which to placate yourself." He continued scanning Maya's face as it proceeded to dip closer with each passing second. "You've likely dispersed your energy beyond its limits, which isn't that surprising, factoring in the events of the... last… several days, er... Miss Fey?"

"Yeah?"

"You're… *ahem*… you're quite close." Edgeworth warily regarded the face dully hanging a few inches from his own. "If you'd move a little, that would... that would be..."

Maya's exhausted gaze cut his objection off at the knees. She didn't reply, she just sat there on the edge of the desk, slender wrists still grasped in his hands, and blinked at him slowly like a doe caught eating a rose by a discomfited gardener.

"Er... Maya?" He tried again. "Did you hear me?"

"Uh huh." nodded Maya.

"Good. Then, if you heard me, will you get about moving?"

"Okay."

Edgeworth breathed out a sigh of relief, but that feeling was short lived.

True to his request, she did move.

However, he did not specify in which direction.

" _M-maya!"_ Edgeworth froze when she gravitated towards him even more. "When I said move, I meant the _other_ way-"

In response to his objections, there wasn't one that came from Maya.

Instead, her eyes closed, her whole body tilted forwards, she fell off the desk and promptly struck him in the forehead with her own.

" _Yeowch!"_ Edgeworth's whole body recoiled as stars danced in front of his vision from the horrible pain that radiated throughout his entire face and made his eye burn and water at the same time. He'd never been hit in the head with a sledgehammer before, but he suspected that this was a fair reproduction of how it would've felt if he had.

What was her head made of, concrete?!

Once the initial agony dissipated, however, Edgeworth came to realize that, whether she had meant to do so or not, Maya's inert body had ungainly sprawled itself against his like he'd been attacked by a living weighted blanket with limbs.

In short, it wasn't the most dignified position he had ever seen her in.

Frankly, it was lucky she was so much smaller than he was, or else she likely would've fallen off and landed face first on the floor instead of on him.

That aside, the blow to her head must've been the final straw in knocking her out, Edgeworth thought to himself as he discreetly examined his new lap accessory. In her current state, Maya was in no shape to discuss anything more to do with the case, or anything else for that matter, and was, in essence, dead to the world until further notice. In fact, if it wasn't for the hot, labored breathing puffing down on his neck from where her head rested heavily on his shoulder, he easily could have mistaken her for a corpse.

"This seems to be becoming a habit, Miss Fey." Edgeworth commented nominally to the sleeping young lady draped across his chest, whose only reply consisted of a slight snoozing buzz and little else. Still, habit or not, he didn't like how she'd gone from just fine to comatose so quickly.

Perhaps she was getting sick.

"It's probably overkill, but I think a trip to the clinic is in order." As best as he was able, Edgeworth maneuvered Maya's body around so he could properly carry her without dropping her on her head and stood up from his seat, which actually proved much harder to do than he first thought because the chair he was sitting in had wheels. "Just in case you've contracted some horrible infection or disease."

Though he expected it was nothing other than a little cold or maybe a fever, excessive stress could severely affect the body if left unchecked, and he knew from personal experience just how much fun stomach ulcers weren't.

* * *

(A/N- And that's another chapter down. Woo, this one took a little longer to write than I first expected, so much so that in my myopia, I completely missed that the one year anniversary of this story just passed. It's rather strange to think it's already been a year since I started this, but that's probably due to the fact it's so much fun to write for. Well, either that or I'm just not paying attention to the passage of time again, which, in fairness, has been known to happen. Anyway, thank you all so much for the favorites, alerts, praise and comments you've sent me, it really does mean a lot that you'd do that, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. So, until next time, thank you very much for reading and please review!)


	15. A Brief History of Feys

Chapter Fifteen: A Brief History of Feys

" _Drugged?!"_

"Yes, that's what I said. You don't need to bellow it." Dr. Bolysm peered over the clipboard in her hands. "It looks like our Mystic Maya got herself into something she ought not and it put her right out."

"Well, is she going to be alright?" Edgeworth looked down at the lifeless lump on the gurney with a stern, yet concerned frown. Since Maya hadn't been awake to explain what had transpired, it had fallen to him to relay the details as best he could, though he had little idea what had actually happened in the first place.

It was an odd tightrope to walk, that.

"Yes, she'll be fine. According to the blood analysis, it was an over-the-counter medication that did the trick, 'Super Sneezy Stopper X' to be precise." Dr. Bolysm set down the medical chart. "Are you familiar with it? It's an allergy medication."

"I know it." said Edgeworth. "I don't take it myself, though."

"Why not? It's one of the best ones on the market."

"The active compound inside the medication triggers a severe asthma attack if I ingest it."

"Allergic to an allergy medication? Hoo wee, that's rough." Dr. Bolysm whistled through her teeth. "Come to think of it, your medical records said as much when we had you in as a patient, didn't they? Well, luckily for Mystic Maya, she doesn't have any allergies to it, or to anything for that matter, so all it did was send her off on a trip to dreamland. Don't fret, she'll be fine once the medication wears off. Its most potent side-effect for anybody not allergic to it is drowsiness, so if people haven't built up a tolerance, it'll knock them out like a glass-jawed boxer a second after the bell rings."

"Maya doesn't have any allergies?" Edgeworth considered the doctor in front of him. "Then why was there medication in her system?"

"Isn't that the question of the day?" Dr. Bolysm clucked her tongue twice. "I can't say for certain, but I've got no intention of letting this go."

"Do you have any leads?"

"Maybe, but before I go run some more tests, I've got a few questions for you, kiddo."

"What might you require of me?" Edgeworth blistered. "And don't call me 'kiddo'."

"Sure thing, hun." Dr. Bolysm smirked at him. "Anyway, back to business. Did Mystic Maya eat or drink anything lately?"

"You'll have to be more specific about the time frame." said Edgeworth. "Maya eats and drinks many things."

"Within the last half hour or so." said Dr. Bolysm.

"Ah. Well, there was a bag of snacks she'd been eating that she had stolen from the detective and she had some tea, but I couldn't say for sure if that was all there was." said Edgeworth. "We weren't together the entire time. Why do you ask?"

"If the drug wasn't taken by Mystic Maya herself, that means it was introduced another way." said Dr. Bolysm. "I need to pinpoint exactly what she ate so we can figure out what might've been laced with the allergy meds. Who else was in the room with you when she passed out?

"No one other than one of the detectives, but she was asleep on the sofa as well, so she can't have done anything of harm, nor would she. Detective Skye is quite trustworthy and she doesn't go around drugging people for her own curiosity or out of boredom."

Well… at least she didn't anymore.

Not since the incident with Prosecutor Gavin and the spiked schnitzel, anyway.

"She was asleep?" asked Dr. Bolysm.

"Yes, I found her on a bench outside. The other detective, Detective Time, is the one who initially found her and reported to me about it. I then brought her into my office so she didn't catch cold."

"I see." Dr. Bolysm whipped out a phone from her pocket and began tapping something into the screen. "That's very interesting. By the way, I suppose I can rule _you_ out as the one who introduced Mystic Maya to the substance, correct?"

The venomous silence that followed chilled the exam room to sub-arctic temperatures.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then. By the way, has the book I gave you been of any help?" Sensing the likelihood of an incandescent rebuttal brewing on the horizon, Dr. Bolysm shamelessly diverted onto a new topic. "You seem no more knowledgeable about the Feys than the last time we spoke. Haven't you used it yet?"

Shaking out of his barely contained lividity, Edgeworth drew a blank for a minute at what she meant, but then remembered the moldy old publication lurking in his pocket.

"No, not as such."

"Oh, really?" Dr. Bolysm's skunkish head tilted at an angle. "Why's that?"

"I cannot read something with which I do not have access." said Edgeworth frostily. "Simply put, I cannot open it."

"You can't open it yet?" Dr. Bolysm threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, you silly thing. You didn't think to ask Mystic Maya how to go about doing it?"

"I wasn't aware I should." said Edgeworth.

"You've been given a book that details the Fey clan and never once thought to bring it up to the master of the Fey clan when you got stuck?" Dr. Bolysm's eyes rolled behind her coke bottle glasses so pronouncedly, they looked like jumbo-sized ping pong balls. "Good lord. Oh, very well. For the ignorant amongst us, I will tell you how to open it, if for no other reason than I feel sorry for you, old bean."

'How generous.' Edgeworth thought waspishly.

"Now then, opening the book is quite simple. All you have to do to bestow a little of your soul's signature onto the book and once it recognizes you, it'll disengage."

"… alright." He retrieved the book from his coat pocket and stared down at the decrepit binding, all the while attempting to ignore just how ridiculous the whole situation was becoming; 'Soul signature'? What nonsense. "How do I do that?"

"Kiss your thumb and press it to the lock."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"I _what?"_

"You heard me. Kiss your thumb and press it to the lock." repeated the old doctor. "Oh, come now, young man. The master told me you were intelligent. In order to be recognized by the book, you need to let it know who you are and what information to which you are privy, but... I take it from the slightly irritated look in your eye that you need a more concrete explanation, don't you?"

"That would be lovely, yes."

"I see." Dr. Bolysm closed her eyes and tapped at her chin. "Alright. Think about it like this. Say there's one computer in an office, but a bunch of people all use and share the computer at any one go. In order to have their information remain private so no one can go on and snoop, each person has their own user profile that can only be accessed by them, sealed with a password. That way, the computer can be used by a great many people, yet still be encrypted to an extent for the privacy of the individual user. Essentially, you're just logging into your server, but with the book as the computer and the soul signature as the password. Make sense?"

Edgeworth's silver brows knitted together.

Dash it all, it did.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Just do as I say and the book will open. Oh, don't give me that look, no one's saying you have to make out with it. A light peck to the finger and pressing it to the lock will do just fine. Go ahead and try it if you don't believe me."

Edgeworth eyed the book with disgust. He had to be out of his mind. However, he did as she instructed, put his thumb to his lips, and then firmly pressed the pad to the magatama lock.

Sure enough, the lock sprang off.

"See? Now what did I tell you?" Dr. Bolysm gloated at Edgeworth's flabbergasted expression while he goggled at the unlocked book in his hands. "So, what does the book say?"

Curious in spite of himself, Edgeworth cracked open the book and flipped to the first page.

Words were written on the page normally reserved for a preface, but the content written there wasn't a preface or anything close to it.

It read as follows:

 _Name: Miles Edgeworth_

 _Age: 35_

 _Profession: Persecutor_

 _Temperament: Crotchety_

 _Appearance: Imposing yet Comely_

 _Belief: Negligible_

 _Spiritual Status: Null_

 _Favorite Color: Red_

"Again with the 'null' classification." Edgeworth muttered under his breath, but he was pleased to see he was making some headway, parlous and ludicrous as it was.

He wasn't too pleased with the 'persecutor' misnomer, though.

"So?" Dr. Bolysm prodded his shoulder with her stick. "Don't keep me waiting in suspense. What does it say?"

"Nothing I didn't already know." said Edgeworth. "There are some statistics and notes about myself, but nothing else of consequence. I expect you are the one who wrote the description down?"

"Who can say?" Dr. Bolysm's eyes twinkled. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Perhaps the book wrote it down."

He snorted.

"Madam, sentient books are only relegated to the realm of fantasy, nothing more." Edgeworth replied in a scathingly dry tone. "In the real world, books don't write themselves. Writers write them."

"No, they don't. Books write themselves. The authors are merely along for the ride."

"Hmph. Well, in any case, there's that mystery solved." Edgeworth turned to the next page and found that it was blank. "And now I'm faced with another one. What exactly am I supposed to do with an empty book?"

"Here, let me take a look." Dr. Bolysm plucked the book out of his hands and flipped it open.

"See anything?" He idly glanced over her shoulder. "If not, then perhaps an X-ray would shed light on the subject if you're having trouble reading the text."

"My dear young man, the problem isn't something so simple as physical matter blocking the view. Besides, dishing out unnecessary X-rays is a profound waste of money. We're not a fund farm, y'know." The wrinkles in Dr. Bolysm's forehead bunched together as she perused the vacant pages. "Nope, it seems you don't have an open enough mind yet to access it completely. That's why it's blank."

"'I don't have an open enough mind'." Edgeworth repeated tonelessly. "Forgive me if I sound skeptical, but I've never once had a book issue a complaint about my reading methods before."

"That just goes to show there's a first time for everything, then." chirped Dr. Bolysm. "This book's a little different from the ones you're used to, so it might just take some time for it to warm up to you, that's all. That, or you've got another reason why it's not working properly, but that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish we won't dive into. No sense in adding more problems to the heap if we can avoid it. Well, no matter. If the book's not feeling it, it looks like it falls to me to pick up the slack."

"How do you mean?" asked Edgeworth.

"If this book's out of service, _I'll_ be your book instead." The doctor grinned at him. "Ask me what you want to know and I'll tell you. I'm a veritable tome of Fey knowledge. Go on. Read me."

Edgeworth scowled.

"I'd rather not."

"Oh, don't be such a wet blanket. It'll be fun and I'm in the mood for some pontificating. That taste of storytelling in the Sword Chamber really got the old gears going and I'm up for some more. So, lay it on me. What do you want to know? Something about the Feys? Oh, how about an overview? That's appropriate given the current climate, isn't it? Admittedly, I'm not as attractive as Mystic Maya, those days are long over, so it might not be as fun for you to listen to an old bird like me, but I know a thing or two that'll prove useful-"

"Fine, fine, you win. Have it your way. Tell me about the Feys if you wish." Edgeworth interrupted tersely, his headache having reached a throbbing zenith; this woman was unnaturally pushy. "If you are really that inclined to explain something, a brief overview of the Fey clan would be fine. Just keep it at that, will you?"

"Excellent." Pleased that she'd gotten her way, Dr. Bolysm stepped back and exaggeratedly cleared her throat. "The Feys are a clan of spiritually gifted individuals that possess the unique ability to channel spirits and commune with the dead. Now, while spirituality might run through the blood of the Feys, the ability to channel spirits is solely inherited by the women, though only a select few of them can channel a spirit successfully-"

"Dr. Bolysm. If I might?"

"What? I just started, you shouldn't interrupt me while I'm warming up."

"It's hardly an interruption when the question being posed is related to what you've just mentioned." said Edgeworth. "Are all the Feys women? I've been meaning to ask this for quite some time, but in the entire time I've known any Feys, be it personally or just of them, I have never once come across a Fey man. Why is that?"

"Oh, we have men here in Kurain." laughed Dr. Bolysm. "They just work outside the village and come back when their work is done. We've also brought outsiders to Kurain Village that are men, let whole families move in too, and that doesn't even count all of their kiddos running loose."

"That's not what I mean." Edgeworth shook his head. "I know there are men who are married to Fey women, along with the other villagers in Kurain. What I mean is I've never run into a member of the Fey clan that was a man and directly related by blood. By marriage, or affiliation, yes, but not by blood. Why is that? Is there a reason?"

"Oh. Well, there are a multitude of reasons, but it's not nearly as interesting as one would think. Don't spend much time dwelling on it, dear. Anyway, while only women can channel spirits, not all Fey women have the ability to do so. Fey women's ability to channel depends on the amount of spiritual energy they are capable of containing. That's what separates the wheat from the chaff and what enables Fey women to channel: spiritual containment ability."

"I recall Maya said something akin to that earlier." frowned Edgeworth. "How does spirit channeling work, exactly?"

"Well, in order to channel a spirit, the medium needs three things: natural channeling talent, the true name of the person they wish to channel, and a picture of the person's face."

"A picture is required?" Edgeworth's eyebrow arched; this was certainly news to him. "Why?"

"It helps with the visualization aspect. The mind's eye needs something to focus on when summoning a spirit and without it, it would be like trying to call someone without their phone number. Anyway, if all are accounted for, the medium can commence with the ceremony. When a spirit medium channels a spirit, the soul of the medium temporarily vacates their body and leaves it empty for the spirit they wish to contact. Since it's been given a mortal shell to temporarily house itself inside, the dead spirit is able to communicate and walk amongst the living in order to conduct whatever business it has, be it a conversation, a mission they were unable to finish while alive, or a familial visit. Most sessions conducted by mediums are for those desperate to speak with their loved ones again. Then, when the session is concluded, the soul is sent back to the twilight realm and the medium's spirit returns to her body. So, it's a lot like an Air BnB, but with bodies instead of flats."

"I see. If that's the case, then wouldn't the process of channeling kill the medium if it forces their soul from their body?"

"Normally forcing the soul from a living body would indeed kill someone unequipped for the task, but spirit mediums have an abnormally powerful spiritual tether between their souls and their bodies. Most people only have enough spiritual energy to keep their soul anchored to their body, but a spirit medium's tether is much stronger and has a significantly longer range. They remain tethered to their body even while outside it and their soul springs back into place when the session's over. It's essentially like a spiritual bungee cord."

"And if the cord snaps? What then?"

"If, god forbid, that happens or a mortal blow is inflicted to the body while in the possession of a spirit, without their tether, the soul of the medium flies into the twilight realm and their mortal form ceases to be. In short, they die."

"... Ah. Are there circumstances in which the medium couldn't channel a spirit?"

"Hmm. Now that's a tougher question." Dr. Bolysm tapped the side of her wrinkly chin. "Yes, if something in the physical realm prevented their soul from leaving their body because they were too tied to it, that could lead them to not being able to channel."

"Like?"

"If their spirit wasn't saturated in enough mystical energy, if they hadn't been training, if they were sick, pregnant, in the midst of a mental or nervous breakdown, if they were badly injured, if someone else was already channeling the spirit they wanted to call or if they were suddenly drained of their power, that could impede the technique's success."

"And if they were forced to do so, anyway?"

"The effects would be the same as if someone forced a normal person's spirit from their body." said Dr. Bolysm. "You can figure out the details for yourself."

Edgeworth staved off the urge to run his fingers through his fringe. He'd expected as much.

"Though I am hesitant to admit it, I had no idea channeling spirits carried such risk to the personal safety of the host."

"Oh, yeah. Being a medium's not for weenies." Dr. Bolysm nodded in sage agreement. "One must be in tip top health in order to carry out the Kurain Channeling Technique, and anything less than that will make it impossible for a medium to channel. Depending on the circumstances, they'll either fail or die trying. So, to circumvent that possibility, all active mediums get bi-monthly physicals."

"Is that why you went into medicine?" Edgeworth's eyebrow arched.

"One of the reasons." winked Dr. Bolysm. "What else do you want to know, boyo?"

"What happens if a spirit medium channels someone that in life didn't have certain attributes like hair, fingerprints, a missing eye or an amputated limb? What then?" asked Edgeworth. "Does it reflect on the medium?"

"When the body channels a spirit, the body does become the spirit's for a short time, but in such a case when something was missing, the original traits of the spirit medium would stay. They wouldn't mysteriously lose a limb or become bald. Their hair and limbs would stay intact. The spirit in question would just temporarily have what they didn't in life, but it wouldn't really be theirs. It would just be a reflection of whoever is channeling them."

"How much control does the medium have when a spirit enters their body?"

"It depends on how skillful the medium is. A fully trained, healthy medium would have no problems expelling a soul if it stayed too long or became unruly, but if the medium wasn't feeling their best, wasn't trained enough, or the soul was too strong, a soul could run amok until it was ousted."

"So they can become possessed?"

"A lesser medium could become possessed by a particularly powerful soul, but that doesn't usually happen. We have a rule about channeling souls aligned with malcontent, so the odds of a rookie being possessed are fairly slim. We take steps to avoid it."

"But it _could_ happen in theory." mused Edgeworth.

"Oh, yes. It could, if the spirit was determined or too strong for the vessel to contain." said Dr. Bolysm. "However, we have a blacklist of names who are forbidden to channel. Anyone who is an active spirit medium is required to memorize it in order to make sure they are never called back."

Edgeworth expected Dahlia Hawthorne was at the top of that list.

"Is there anything else you wanted to know?" Dr. Bolysm prompted. "I don't know what we haven't covered about channeling, but feel free to ask if anything comes to mind."

"There is, but it doesn't have as much to do with channeling so much as it does the events of last night." Edgeworth moved to the nearby window and peered out into the darkness; from the position of the moon, it was probably already midnight. "You were here yesterday evening, were you not?"

"I was." said Dr. Bolysm. "So were Phil and Mercy, when she bothered to get her butt back to work instead of running off without so much as a word. That girl is so flighty, it's no shock to me why she hasn't graduated that two year program even though she's been at it for well over six. No discipline, that's what her problem is, no discipline."

"Did you at any time see Pearl?"

"I don't think I did. I was working on some patients at the time, but it's possible she was around. She has clearance to go where she pleases since she volunteers here regularly. Why?"

"When I spoke to Mercy, she said that she had seen Pearl when she had conducted an inventory of the supplies for the hospital."

"Oh. I see." said Dr. Bolysm. "Well, I can't say for Pearl or not, but I can vouch for Mercy being on inventory. I couldn't let her absconding go unpunished, so I stuck her with inventory duty so she'll learn not to leave halfway through her shift again. She hates it, so here's hoping she'll get with the program. I'm not that hopeful, but it's worth a shot."

"And to the best of your knowledge, what was the junior doctor doing at the time?"

"Phil? Other than looking after your sorry unconscious carcass, he was checking the inventory, too. He does that every other week to make sure none of the staff are carting off hospital contraband. We're missing most of our office pens."

"Hm." Edgeworth brought one hand to his chin, though his gaze never left the window. "I see."

"Alright, you've got me curious." Dr. Bolysm leaned forwards on her walking stick. "Why didn't you just ask Phil yourself? He delivered the autopsy report to you. You could've just asked him then."

"No, I couldn't. He's refused to testify, so there's nothing more I could do. Do you happen to know if anything was missing other than the pens?"

"Missing?" Dr. Bolysm's feathered eyebrows fluffed downwards against her glasses. "Let's see... I think from the list I was given, I didn't see anything too far out of the ordinary that was missing from the hospital section, and overall there wasn't anything of consequence missing that I noted, just a few medical kits, all my ruddy pens and a carrier bag. Oh, and a few experimental canisters had been misplaced from the lab we have on the second floor, but given how hare-brained those researchers are, they're probably tucked under their desks or something. Scientists are wonderful when it comes to their work and lousy at just about everything else. It's like they're martians."

"Do you remember if anything else was missing?" asked Edgeworth.

"No, I don't believe there was. That was it."

"I see." Edgeworth exhaled tiredly and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I think that's all I need to ask you, then. Thank you for your time."

"No problem." grinned the doctor. "Always happy to enlightened the unwashed masses-"

"Doctor, I've got the other one you wanted." With a knock that barely gave any time to register as a proper warning, the ER doors unceremoniously swung open and admitted one Phil the junior doctor and Ema, who he'd slung over his broad shoulder like a sack of dead potatoes. "Turns out she was right where you said she'd be. It's a right shame, Mystic Maya's friends are dropping like flies and- _oh_."

His jovial demeanor quickly turned to dust when he saw Edgeworth watching him flintily from his place near the window.

"Ah, Phil. There you are." Dr. Bolysm didn't seem to let the sudden murky atmosphere deter her cheerful attitude. "I've been waiting for you."

"... you were, huh?" Phil suspiciously regarded the older lady as he gingerly set the limp detective down on a free bed. "Why?"

"Well, you see, in case you haven't heard, there have been murders. Two murders. Two gruesome murders. Two gruesome murders that this young man here is attempting to solve for us, pro bono." She ambled towards Phil with an almost predatory grin. "And from what a little nocturnal birdie's told me, you have refused to testify about what you know. Is that right?"

"Y-yeah? So?" Phil tried to puff up his chest like a bird would frill out its feathers to make itself appear bigger, but all he looked like was a subversive chick staring down the head hen.

"So," Dr. Bolysm pulled the armchair next to the gurney that had Maya atop it and set it right in front of Phil. "Here's what's going to happen. You are going to sit in this chair. He is going to ask you some questions. You are going to answer those questions. Honestly, factually, and to the best to your ability. And you are going to it _now_. Do you understand?"

Phil had the air of a man who wanted to turn tail and run for it, but he was too busy being paralyzed in fear to remember he needed to move in order to actually do so.

"B-but-"

Dr. Bolysm's glasses slid down her nose, revealing a pair of menacing, humorless grey eyes.

"You. Sit. _Now."_

Phil sat now.

"Good boy." Dr. Bolysm's cheerful smile returned and she patted the unruly mop of black hair atop Phil's head. "Well then, I'll leave you two alone so you can get acquainted better. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off for a snack."

"Snack?" Both Phil and Edgeworth asked at the same time.

"Yep. That manju cart's parked up in the front of the clinic and I'm starving. Toodles."

* * *

(A/N- So, as I'm sure everyone's well aware, things have gotten a little bit hairy lately since I last updated.

And by 'a little bit hairy', I mean fairy _flipping_ insane.

I tell you what, between the recent unpleasantness (Co-Vid), getting sick, the entire area being put on mandatory lock-down because some people in my area can't listen worth beans, getting sick again, it randomly snowing in a place that rarely ever gets snow so everyone just panicked more, the layoffs, suddenly losing an animal and everything else that's been going on top of that, I don't know about y'all, but I am so ready for this year to just be over.

I don't care that it's only March.

You know it's icky out there when 2019 looks cheery by comparison.

So, I'm doing my bit, staying in quarantine like I'm supposed to, working on my fic and getting better acquainted with my pajama pants. They are quite nice and I like them. However, for all the virus pandemic plots spread across fiction that I've seen, I am quite surprised at the lacking mention of colorful flannel trousers or the empty toilet paper aisles seen in shops across the world.

Anyway, being an extrovert, I'm not as well-equipped for this as well as some others with whom I am related, but I'm staying indoors until further notice if it'll help keep people from coming down with the recent unpleasantness and I hope you're all out there doing well and staying indoors when you can, too.

In any case, thank you so much to everyone who commented, favorited, alerted and read my last chapter and a special thank you to the person who bought me a KoFi. That was really sweet and I highly appreciated it. I was having a pretty bad day when I got it at the time, so thank you. Thank you very much. Anyway, thank you all for your continued support, thank you again for reading, be careful when venturing past your threshold and please review!)


	16. Doctors and Nurses

Chapter Sixteen: Doctors and Nurses

"I'm still not testifying." Phil grumped defiantly once the door stopped swinging in the wake of Dr. Bolysm's vacation of the premises in lieu of a manju expedition.

"I didn't expect you to." Edgeworth replied lightly without bothering to look at him. "Believe what you will, but this was not my doing."

"Then why am I here?" demanded Phil.

"Presumably because you are intimidated by your boss to the point of capitulation, I'd wager." Edgeworth disdainfully peered through the windowpane and observed Dr. Bolysm approach De Killer's manju cart with a spring in her aged step; for someone who had just dealt with multiple calamities all piled on top of each other in such a short span of time, she didn't seem any worse for wear.

"Huh." From where he sat in his seat, Phil tilted his head up and scanned Edgeworth beadily from over the top of his hawkish nose. "I didn't know you were a bettin' man. You don't seem like the type who'd let Lady Luck take the wheel."

"That's because I'm not." Edgeworth turned from the window. "However, I know a cowed subordinate when I see one. I'm surrounded by them at my own office on a daily basis."

"Well, well, aren't you the big fish in the mud puddle?" Phil snorted before he itched at his forearm and grimaced.

"I wouldn't go as far as that, but I'm certainly no guppy." Edgeworth commented coldly, but Phil didn't pay his curt aside much attention. Instead of fully appreciating just how delicate the thin ice he was treading upon truly was, the junior doctor stuck a hand into his lab coat pocket, pulled out a bright red box with a garish white cross on the lid, flipped it open, and proceeded to dump the contents onto the side table next to Maya's cot.

"Are those standard issue?" Edgeworth's nose wrinkled as he watched Phil rifle through the mound of medical accoutrements strewn about the table; medical wipes, surgical stitching thread, antiseptic, surgical toolkit, painkiller X, bandages, latex gloves, non-latex gloves, pressure cuff, epinephrine injector, candies, hot compress pads, instruction booklet, stethoscope, more candies, and an unnatural amount of adhesive patches.

"What, the med kits?" Phil picked up one of the adhesive patches and tore off the tab at the top. "Everybody who works in this clinic carries one around. Dr. Bolysm doesn't like it when people aren't prepared for anything short of the apocalypse."

"Is it normal to carry around that many patches?" Edgeworth pointed at the patch in Phil's hand.

"It is for me." Phil rolled up his sleeve, tore the adhesive backing off the patch, stuck it onto his forearm and slumped backwards into his chair. "Ah, that's better."

Edgeworth's eyelids fell to half mast.

"I take it you are attempting to quit smoking?"

"What was your first clue? The nicotine patch or its three friends that I've already got hanging out on my arm as it is?" Phil replied sardonically with a sniff, but as the nicotine began swarming through his system, he started to visibly relax. "And it's not that I'm attempting to quit. I already have, cold turkey. It's just a matter of weening my system off the nicotine at this point. I'm only using four patches a day now."

"Only four?" Edgeworth repeated coolly.

"Don't knock it, Mr. Owl. It used to be seven." scowled Phil. "It's fairly slow going, but I'm making headway little by little. Soon I'll be off this stuff for good. Just give it time."

"Why the sudden change?" asked Edgeworth.

"Eh, I just figured it'll be better for my credibility as a doctor. Nobody's going to listen to a doctor who chain smokes about bettering their health." shrugged Phil. "Among other reasons."

"Did you make the decision to quit recently?"

"I guess. I haven't touched a cig since the first of March. That's when I cut myself off. Figured I'd make a clean break of it, then." Phil's dark eyebrow arched. "Why?"

"No reason in particular. I was simply making idle conversation." said Edgeworth.

"Yeah, I don't believe that for a split damn second." Phil snarked shrewdly from his seat. "You're not the small talk kinda guy."

"Is it that obvious?" Edgeworth inquired mildly.

"You could say that. I've seen dehydrated cacti friendlier than you." Phil itched at the tip of his nose and cast a yellow-eyed askance glance towards Maya who was still out cold on her gurney. "Well, anyway, if you really wanna chat so bad, then enlighten me. What's up with Mystic Maya? She sick?"

"She's been exposed to Super Sneezy Stopper X and has fallen asleep." said Edgeworth. "According to Dr. Bolysm, she should be fine once the effects wear off."

"Huh. No foolin'." Phil thoughtfully itched the tip of his nose again. "That's funny."

"What is?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in." After ushering the contents of his medkit back into the red box, Phil stretched, popped some of his ribs back into place, and hopped back up on his feet. "Speaking of which, I need to get that blood work done so I can ship it off to the lab for analysis." Striding over to the sink unit in the corner of the room, he yanked open a cupboard drawer, washed his hands, pulled on some latex gloves, retrieved a length of rubber cord, several disinfecting wipes, a glass vial and a fresh hypodermic needle from inside the drawer, and approached Ema's bed.

"You might want to look away. Some people faint if they watch." Phil flicked the needle's main body twice to dispel any air pockets, rolled up Ema's sleeve and quickly swabbed her skin with both wipes. He then tied off her bicep, waited patiently until the vein at the crux of her arm was engorged, lightly tapped it twice with his forefinger to test buoyancy, and promptly set about harvesting it.

"You're rather adept at drawing blood." Edgeworth noted from where he stood at the window, not having seen the point in averting his eyes.

Though he had several hangups of his own in terms of what startled him beyond his senses, the sight of blood was not one of them.

"Years of practice." Phil set the now full needle down on the side table and pressed firmly to Ema's arm while holding it aloft to quell any residual bleeding. "I wouldn't be very good at my job if I couldn't do something as simple as taking blood. At this point, it's easier than peeling a banana."

"I see. Given your profession, I suppose that makes sense. Although, one would think taking blood like this would be a task relegated to a nurse instead of a doctor." said Edgeworth. "Is that not the case here?"

"It depends on the quality of the nursing staff." Phil picked up some gauze and a roll of red bandages and began dressing the puncture site on Ema's arm. "If the nurses are great, then yeah, it would be. However, I'm not nearly so lucky, so I do all my own work because I don't like having to do damage control if I can avoid it."

"What about Mercy?"

"Tch, what _about_ her?" Phil bitterly bit his cheek while he finished covering Ema's wound, tore off another piece of bandage, tied it into a little bow and pressed it to the outside of the wrapping. "She's the reason I'm running around constantly having to do everything on my own. She's far more of a hindrance than a help. All she ever does is mess up and whine and not do what she's supposed to, and then she flits off at a moment's notice for whatever stupid reason she's come up with in order to get out of work. Completely useless, if you ask me. Why the head doctor hasn't given her the boot is beyond me. If _I_ were in charge, she'd have been gone years ago."

"Perhaps she elicits some form of pity from Dr. Bolysm." suggested Edgeworth.

"Not likely. There isn't enough pity in the world to excuse that girl's habits." Phil transferred the needle's harvested contents to the small vial and stoppered it shut. "What I wouldn't give to have a good nurse around here. That'd make my life so much easier. The volunteers around here are far more valuable than that lump Mercy's ever been. At least they take instruction without arguing about every stupid little detail and then give me lip when I don't let them walk all over me."

"I wasn't aware Mercy was so disagreeable." said Edgeworth.

"You'd be better off steering clear of her if you can avoid it." Phil spat distastefully like he'd swallowed an unripe lime whole.

"Why's that?"

"She's a fresh pain in the ass, that's why. She never shows up on time, she flits from one thing to the other without finishing anything, she's quick to panic, she's got no discipline, she's a horrible gossip, and to top it off, her ego is so overly inflated, you'd think her head was about to take off like a weather balloon. Other than that, she's great."

"She sounds thoroughly irritating." said Edgeworth. "However, that wasn't the impression I received from Ma- er, Miss Fey about her. She said Mercy was a rather timid sort."

"Honestly, that doesn't shock me much that Mystic Maya'd say that." said Phil. "Mercy's a regular two-faced troll. She'll act shy to one person, then boisterous to another, then a sobbing wreck to a third and so on and so forth. It's all a matter of figuring out just how to push the right buttons on the right people to get what she wants."

"So she's manipulative, then." Edgeworth's forehead furrowed.

"That's putting it lightly. Anybody she thinks she can bend to her will is fair game. She fancies herself something of a femme fatale. It's really annoying."

"I see. Miss Fey also relayed the impression that Mercy was afraid of men. Is that an accurate assessment to you?"

" _Mercy?_ Hah. No way, she's mad about them." Phil barked out a laugh as he put the vial of blood into the courier tray's hatch and shut the lid. "As one of the few men who've been around her for a long stretch of time, I can speak from personal experience. She's absolutely man crazy. Her main problem is there aren't many men around here to choose from. It's pretty slim pickings around here in Kurain, in case you haven't noticed."

"Is she fond of you?" asked Edgeworth.

"Pfft, no. She hates my guts."

"Why is that?"

"I'm onto her, that's why." glowered Phil. "I know what she's doing and she doesn't like it one bit. None of her tricks work on me either, so that's another reason. I'm immune. Actually, speaking of which, that's got me wondering. Has she tried anything on you yet?"

"I'm not entirely certain." said Edgeworth. "Perhaps she has, but, if so, I didn't notice. I'm not the most adept person on that front."

"Then that means 'yes' and that it didn't work." Phil grinned, looking a little too pleased by the news in Edgeworth's opinion. "I bet she tried the old 'hiking up the skirt' routine and if it failed on you, she'll probably have already moved on to someone else by now, like that ginger detective for instance. He seems like an easy enough meal to chew."

"I expect she might already have done so." mused Edgeworth. "She requested he escort her back to the hospital. He wasn't happy to oblige."

"Hah. I knew it. I saw him earlier and was wondering why that guy looked so green in the gills. Poor sod."

"He did say something to that effect earlier." said Edgeworth. "So, to summarize, you and Mercy don't get along."

"Again, that's putting it mildly." sniffed Phil. "She and I get on about as well as strange bulldogs."

"Does that dislike run deep enough to threaten her life?"

"Threaten her life?" Phil blinked. "What do you mean by- Wait, did she she tell you that _I_ threatened her?!"

"Something to that effect." said Edgeworth.

"Tch. It figures, it really frickin' does." Phil yanked off his latex gloves and pitched them into the wastebasket. " Look, I didn't threaten anybody, least of all her. There's no point in threatening anybody who's already that much of a danger to themselves as it is. I just told her to quit running her yap or she'd make everything worse. It's bad enough you're suspecting the one person in this whole town who's incapable of hurting a fly of murder. I didn't need her firing off her interpretation of events so it'll get worse. It's best to quell the embers before it turns into full flung fire, you get me?"

"I do." said Edgeworth.

"Mercy exaggerates when she thinks it'll make the story more interesting and spins it when it suits her. A paper cut will turn into a harrowing escape from a buzz saw and a case of classic Stockholm syndrome will morph into a thrilling love tale, if you can get past the gag reflex, that is. You can't trust anything she says. She's got it all skewed from tip to stern." Phil opened the door leading out into the hall and retrieved the vial of blood from the sample window on the other side. "Now, if you excuse me, I've got a blood sample to run to the labs and it can't wait."

"You're acting as the courier, too?" Edgeworth found himself a touch taken aback; by comparison, this man made _him_ look practically work-shy.

"Like I said, I'm a one-man band." Phil smiled tightly and neatly tucked the sample into the miniature transport carrier pack slung over his shoulder so it was secure in an elastic slot and wouldn't tip over during the journey to the lab. "Give my regards to the master when she wakes up. With all she's been through, she'll need it."

"Very well. Also, if I might put in a request, Dr...?"

"Zysion. And that depends on what it is."

"Dr. Zysion. When the lab results come back in, I would like a copy for my records. It may prove useful."

"Oh… yeah, alright. Sure." Phil sighed so miserably, he resembled a set of dying bagpipes. "I already got told to do as much from Dr. Bolysm if you asked it, so I guess I don't have a choice, but to hand them over. She runs the show around here, not me, not that I forgot that fun fact or anything. You want the other lab results too, I take it?"

"Yes, if you would be so obliging." nodded Edgeworth, though what the other results were, he wasn't entirely sure.

"… Okay, fine. I'll have them brought back here when the tests are concluded." said Phil. "Anything else while I'm at it, or can I go? As much as people like to think otherwise, this sticky stuff's got a limited freshness window when it's at room temperature."

"Actually… yes. There is one more thing." Edgeworth returned to his place near the window sill and pensively stared up at the murky night sky beyond the glass. "Dr. Zysion, are you absolutely certain that you won't testify about what you know in regards to the incidents? This is your last chance to speak to me privately about what you saw, because from here on out, whatever comes next will be in the public eye."

Phil threw back his head and laughed, but his laughter was cheerless and cold.

"I already told you before, Mr. Edgeworth. I've got nothing to say to you or anybody else about that night. Throw the book at me, I don't care. At this stage in my life, I've gone through more hell than you can possibly dish out at me. You don't scare me, not by a clean mile, so if you were trying to intimidate me into spilling my guts or whatever by threatening me with legal action, you picked the wrong guy. Therefore, you can take that neat little line of inquiry and shove it. I'm not talking."

"I see." Edgeworth sighed, removed his glasses, took out his handkerchief and began to clean the lenses. "Then, on your own head be it."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Phil slouched against the doorframe, his arms challengingly folded against his broad chest.

"Exactly as it sounds." said Edgeworth as he replaced his glasses upon his nose. "You've been given plenty opportunities to speak, but if you still refuse after this long, there's nothing more to be done. You've made your choice. However, when everything comes out, and it will, make no mistake of that, don't say you weren't warned. That is all."

"Pfft. Oh, yeah, right." Phil snorted derisively. "Like _you_ actually know anything, anyway."

Edgeworth simply offered him a small smile, but it was chilly and did not reach his eyes.

Phil's yellow irises dilated.

"Y-you… you don't know anything." He growled, but the rattle in his throat nearly choked him off. "You can't possibly know. You're just trying to trip me up so I say something. You're just bluffing."

"You are free to think that, but as I said before, I am not a betting man." said Edgeworth phlegmatically. "Do not mistake me for a defense lawyer, Dr. Zysion. I am a prosecutor. I do not bluff. I only put stakes down when I know I am sure to win. Oh, and in the future, it would do you well to cease your habit of listening in on private conversations that don't involve you, especially those pertaining to murder investigations. It's bad form."

Phil flushed angrily and promptly left the surgery.

* * *

"Mr. Edgeworth...?" The door to the surgery knocked twice and a shock of scarlet hair poked through the door. "Are ya in here, sir? I went back to your office after I ditc- I mean, saw Miss Mercy back to where she wanted to go, but you weren't there, so I went lookin' for ya and- Oh, am I interrupting somethin'?"

"Not as such." Edgeworth looked up from the two notebooks he'd been comparing and beckoned Time inside with a flick of the wrist. "What is it, Time? Anything to report about our mystery man?"

"Not as much as I'd like." Time came into the surgery and the doors swung shut behind him. "I thought I spotted a suspicious guy for a minute there, but turns out it was just that creepy manju salesman again. Suspicious, but not who I was lookin' for. Speakin' of which, did you know he's parked out in front of the hospital?"

"Yes, I am aware of that." said Edgeworth curtly.

"That guy sure gets around, huh?" Time ran a hand through his hair and mussed it a little. "I coulda sworn I saw him in the main manor place, but here he is here. Manju must be popular with the Feys or somethin'. I haven't seen him without a customer, not even once. Weird, right? It can't be _that_ good."

"Hmph." murmured Edgeworth.

"By the way, here's the cargo manifesto thingy you wanted. Dunno why, but it's not my place to ask questions like that, so I didn't bother snoopin'." Time produced a document and handed it to Edgeworth. "I thought Detective Skye'd have been the one to deliver it to ya, but according to the policeman who gave this to me, she's gone AWOL and she wasn't on her bench, so I- oh. There she is. She sick?"

"No, no. She's just exhausted." Edgeworth set down a paper entitled 'Ema Skye- lab results' and let his shoulders uncoil. "She'll be fine with some rest. However, the next time you see her camped out on a bench, don't just leave her there."

"Yessir, I won't." Time paused a minute to readjust his tie and he tried to look casual, but all he did was come off as antsy. "Um... excuse me for askin' and all, but do you mind if I ask you somethin'?"

"It depends." said Edgeworth.

"Do you, um... do you have any idea who the culprit is yet? I mean, I don't want to rush anybody and I know it's a murder investigation and all, so you can't just tell me all the nitty gritty details because I'm not part of the actual investigation, but-"

"All in good time, Detective." Edgeworth set down his notes, laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them. "It's not as simple as you might like it to be. All the pieces must be put together in order to ascertain the truth of this case."

"Do you have all the pieces, then?" Time asked hopefully.

"I cannot say for sure." Edgeworth closed his eyes. "One false assumption or logical misstep can derail everything, so until I have all the pieces, it's a broken mosaic at best."

"Yeah, I guess." Time drooped disappointedly. "I suppose this case is fairly complicated any which way you look at it. I, for one, can't wrap my head around it one way or the other."

"Oh?" Edgeworth cracked an eye open.

"Yessir. I mean, think about it. Why did they even happen in the first place?" Time continued. "These deaths just don't make any sense to me."

"Explain."

"Huh? Oh, er... okay. Well, the way I see it, I don't get why anyone would ever want to kill either of the victims. The victims in this case were a blind old lady and my sister, right? Means can be improvised and opportunity, yeah, I can see there probably was one, but what was the motive? That's what I can't quite figure. What's the point in killing a blind old lady? Who got anything out of killing a simple train attendant? Sure, we could say that maybe the old lady knew something, or maybe she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but who in their right mind'd want to kill Milly? She never did wrong by anybody and she was always such a nice girl. She didn't have any enemies to speak of, and wouldn't say boo to a goose. So, why did she die?"

"You're speaking from a biased perspective, Detective." said Edgeworth. "Your rendition of your sister's character also seems oddly positive for a sibling. You should know her flaws along with her strengths, yet you do not speak of them. Surely you and she must've butted heads over the years."

"Do you have a little sister, sir?" Time asked suddenly.

Edgeworth considered the question for a minute.

"… I suppose you could say that."

"Oh. Well..." Time swallowed hard and combed a hand through his ginger hair again. "I guess I don't want to bring up her bad bits because she's... well, she's gone. It's never a good idea to speak ill of the dead. You never know when they just might come back to haunt ya. However, just because she was overly trusting and never met a stranger, didn't mean anybody had a reason to kill her. I'd stick by that even if she'd just smacked me in the face with a tree limb, and, believe you me, that happened a couple times."

"Or a whip..."

"Sir?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself." Edgeworth cleared his throat. "Anyway, your input is duly noted. Now then, if you would continue your search for the man with the face like a rat, I would appreciate it."

"... right, sir." Time took that as a call for dismissal and sighed forlornly. "I'll go check around the train station. Maybe he's wormed his way out there."

"Good." Edgeworth picked up one of the notebooks he'd abandoned and began to read it once more in search of any details he had previously missed. "Also, on your way out, please lock the door behind you. I need some time to think undisturbed."

Nodding glumly, Time strode to the door, gripped the knob, paused, bent down and stared at it.

"Is there a problem, Detective?" Edgeworth inquired placidly from over the top of his glasses.

"Kinda, sir." Time looked up from the doorknob. "There isn't a lock on this door."

* * *

(A/N- Well, well, looks like things are starting to pick up a bit more. And yet, there is so much more I have to do before pulling all the threads together into a solution remotely coherent. I swear, I write a chapter and two more spring up before me. However, I am not daunted and I will press onwards, even if I pull another muscle in the process.

Anyway, I hope everyone out there is doing alright amidst the recent unpleasantness. I'm okay, I think. The days are starting to bleed together, I keep forgetting why I walk into rooms and I'm zoning out all the time, but I think that's part and parcel from being in quarantine for this long, so yeah. That's been a thing. Not a pleasant thing, but a thing.

Oh, and to answer the question one of the reviewers asked me, this story takes place post ace attorney, as in, _all_ of the ace attorney games.

This story is post.

 _Very_ post.

So post, in fact, all the characters are now legally adults, Apollo's had his entire arc completed and has ventured onwards to better pastures as his own lawyery man person, instead of playing second fiddle all the time to Phoenix at his firm- mostly relegated to scrubbing toilets and indulging Trucy's insanity- Maya's in her late twenties and in charge of her whole town as a responsible adult (I _know_ ) and Pearl has graduated high school and is old enough to vote, ie, 18 years of age. So, if any of you haven't played through any of the previous ace attorney games, I implore you. Stop reading this story right now and go do that before you read onwards. I'm going to add in gratuitous spoilers for all those games throughout this series, including the Ace Attorney investigation games, and I don't want my work to compromise the original experience, as it should be experienced blind. So, if you aren't totally okay with being spoiled beyond belief, I recommend holding off reading my work until you're satisfied with what the original content has to offer.

At any rate, thank you to everyone who read, favorited, alerted, and commented and please review!)


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